Sheriff asks Cupertino residents to come forward after fake‑officer spa robbery

Santa Clara County sheriff’s detectives say a man who posed as a police officer robbed a Cupertino spa, and they are now asking possible additional victims to come forward. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) The sheriff’s office said detectives arrested 32-year-old Brendan Kroning of San Andreas on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in a San Jose parking garage. The case stems from an April 15 robbery at Sunny Spa on South De Anza Boulevard in Cupertino. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) Investigators said the suspect entered the business just before 5:30 p.m. wearing a vest, a duty belt and what appeared to be a handgun. Employees told detectives he claimed to be a police officer conducting an inspection. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) Once inside, the man unplugged the spa’s security cameras and asked employees to open the cash register, according to the sheriff’s office. After seeing the register, he took a large amount of cash and ran to a car parked in an alley. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) Deputies responded within minutes and searched the shopping center with Los Altos police, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety and several K-9 teams. No one was hurt, but the suspect was not found that day. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) Detectives later identified Kroning as the suspect, and the sheriff’s office said evidence inside his car tied him to the Cupertino robbery. With help from the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, investigators also served a search warrant at his San Andreas home. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) Kroning faces three counts of robbery, three counts of false imprisonment and one count of impersonating a police officer, the sheriff’s office said. Bay Area outlets including NBC Bay Area and SFGATE separately matched the arrest details and charges. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (nbcbayarea.com) (sfgate.com) The sheriff’s office said it is now trying to identify other people who may have experienced similar encounters involving Kroning or someone impersonating a police officer. Investigators asked anyone who saw something, has surveillance video or believes they may be a victim to call 408-808-4500. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) The agency also used the case to spell out what a routine law-enforcement visit should not look like. Real officers, it said, identify themselves, provide credentials and do not ask to access cash registers or money during inspections. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov)