Wire theft has left another area of San Jose in the dark. Jocelyn Moran reports.
A copper wire theft has left another area of San Jose in the dark.
On Interstate 680 near the McKee exit in San Jose Monday night, many of the streetlights were not working. Caltrans said that people have been going into pull boxes and taking the wires.
Camille Reddy noticed the lights were out about two weeks ago, and several people on Facebook were talking about the problem.
“I’ve always been extra careful just because of the pedestrians and the risk of hitting someone, but even now you can barely see anything,” Reddy said.
Caltrans released the following statement on Monday: “Our Caltrans electrical team has determined that the lights in question on Highway 680 are out due to individuals taking the wire out of the pull boxes. We are currently waiting for the traffic rated pull boxes to be installed.”
Wire theft is not new to the South Bay.
A few months ago, the city of San Jose launched an interactive map showing which areas have lights out due to stolen wires. Last month, two men were arrested after police say they stole copper wire from several streetlights in Morgan Hill.
Reddy said she drives this stretch of I-680 often.
“I try to avoid driving on 680 at night as much as possible, but I can’t," she said. "My daughter has class for gymnastics. I have to bring her home. I have no other option. My biggest concern is someone not knowing the exit, then they hit a person or even another driver that can’t see the sign for the exit because they don’t know where to go.”
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