By Lookout Staff

July 30, 2025 -- Two suspects in a series of residential burglaries and mail thefts that took place across Santa Monica between April and July have been arrested and charged after an "extensive" investigation by Santa Monica police.

Kyle McCaffrey, 29, from Lake Balboa, and Hector Quintanilla, 39, from North Hills, are suspected of breaking into multi-family buildings and using a manufactured U.S. Postal Service key to break into the mailboxes.

Police began the investigation on May 8, when detectives were assigned a burglary and mail theft case at an apartment complex located in the 300 block of Arizona Avenue, said Lt. Lewis Gilmour.

The suspect, later identified as Kyle McCaffrey, "used a crowbar to force entry into the building," Gilmour said.

He then accessed community mailboxes using a manufactured postal arrow key "used by the U.S. Postal Service to open centralized mailboxes in residential and commercial buildings."

The following day, on May 9, detectives were assigned another mail theft case at an apartment complex in the 2100 block of 4th Street.

"In that incident, McCaffrey and an additional suspect, Hector Quintanilla, used an arrow key to unlawfully access the building and steal mail," Gilmour said.

"As the investigation progressed, detectives identified a pattern of similar incidents across the city, believed to be committed by the same individuals."

On July 16, SMPD’s Crime Impact Team (CIT) helped arrest McCaffrey and Quintanilla in Van Nuys, Gilmour said.

During the arrest, investigators recovered evidence connected to the crimes, including the arrow keys.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged McCaffrey with three counts of first-degree residential burglary and one count of identity theft

Quintanilla was charged with two counts of first-degree residential burglary, one count of false impersonation and one count of identity theft.

"The Santa Monica Police Department remains committed to investigating crimes that impact the safety and security of our community," police officials said in a statement.

Anyone with information related to this incident should email Detective Baker at sean.baker@santamonica.gov or call the Watch Commander, available 24/7, at 310-458-8427.