Parts of San José went dark today after thieves stripped copper wiring from public infrastructure, knocking out streetlights and leaving intersections barely lit while city crews rushed in for emergency repairs. Neighbors reported entire blocks swallowed by darkness, and drivers said traffic signals were dim or out at times, turning the evening commute into a guessing game.
KRON4’s “People Behaving Badly” segment caught the aftermath on camera, with municipal crews and fed-up residents reacting to the blackout and confirming it followed a copper wire theft. As shown in KRON4, workers were busy repairing damaged junctions while residents laid out how the sudden blackout disrupted their local streets.
Thefts Have Become a Massive Maintenance Headache
City officials and local reporting say this is far from a one-off stunt. San José Spotlight reported that the city has logged roughly 2,200 copper theft incidents since last June, repaired about 1,500 of them, and is still staring at a backlog of roughly 700 outages. Transportation officials say the numbers add up to safety concerns on darkened streets and economic headaches for neighborhoods and small businesses that are literally left in the dark.
Police And City Agencies Turn Up The Heat
The San José Police Department says it has been running undercover operations targeting scrap metal recyclers and has cited several businesses suspected of buying stolen copper as part of a broader push to choke off the resale market. In a media advisory, the department detailed an April undercover operation that led to citations for three recycling businesses and warned that anyone who profits from stolen property will be held accountable. The advisory also directs residents to tip lines and Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers for anonymous reporting. The SJPD release includes contact information for submitting tips.
What Residents Can Do Right Now
The city’s Transportation Department is asking residents to call in dark streetlights and outages through 3-1-1 or the DOT dispatch line so crews can prioritize where to roll next. The department’s webpage walks residents through how to find and report a pole number and what details help speed up repairs. The City of San José notes that some theft-related repairs can take months because of the sheer volume of damage, limited parts and the logistics of scheduling crews…