Man Posed As Cop, Robbed Bay Area Spa

Santa Clara County deputies say a man who posed as a police officer robbed a Cupertino spa, then was arrested a week later in San Jose. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (nbcbayarea.com) Detectives identified the suspect as 32-year-old Brendan Kroning of San Andreas in Calaveras County. They arrested him on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in a San Jose parking garage. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (eastbaytimes.com) The robbery happened just before 5:30 p.m. on April 15 at Sunny Spa on South De Anza Boulevard in Cupertino, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. Employees told detectives the man arrived wearing a vest, a duty belt and what appeared to be a handgun. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (cbsnews.com) Deputies said he claimed he was a police officer there to inspect the business. Once inside, he unplugged the spa’s security cameras and told employees to open the cash register. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (kron4.com) After workers showed him the register, investigators say he took a large amount of cash and ran out. He was last seen getting into a car parked in an alley, and no injuries were reported. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (sfgate.com) Kroning now faces three counts of robbery, three counts of false imprisonment and one count of impersonating a police officer. The sheriff’s office said the charges stem from the Sunny Spa case alone. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (kmph.com) Investigators are also asking whether there were other victims. Patch reported deputies believe he may have targeted others and asked anyone with similar encounters to contact the sheriff’s office. (patch.com) (nbcbayarea.com) The case follows another Santa Clara County impersonation arrest from April 2024, when deputies said a traffic stop in Cupertino uncovered a driver in a “Police” security uniform with firearms, batons, pepper spray and methamphetamine in his vehicle. (ktvu.com) (nbcbayarea.com) In the Sunny Spa case, deputies say the suspect used the appearance of official authority to get past the front door and to the cash register. The next step is whether prosecutors add counts tied to any other reported encounters. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (patch.com)