Home surveillance captures another mountain lion sighting in San Mateo

Another mountain lion sighting in San Mateo has one neighborhood keeping an eye out for the big cat.

The mountain lion was seen on video taking a stroll through the neighborhood on the 400 block of Hobart Avenue. The cat was captured on Xiaochao Yang’s home security system overnight. He said the mountain lion walked through his property around midnight, but he didn’t see the video until he woke up. 

Yang called police who verified it was a mountain lion, but a search for the animal turned up nothing. He said he believes the mountain lion wandered from the hills west of Interstate 280 and jumped the fence onto his property.

“It is all a residential area,” Yang said. “It’s flat so I’m just so surprised there is a mountain lion showing up.”

San Mateo Police Sgt. Amanda Von Glahn said sightings are pretty common. She said the department has received at least one report of a sighting each month for the past six months.

In July, a mountain lion was spotted in a neighborhood about a mile away in the middle of the day. In that case, the animal was tranquilized, tagged, and released back into the wild with the help of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Von Glahn said children and small animals could be at risk if they encounter a mountain lion. People should avoid jogging at dawn or dusk near wooded areas.

“Don’t confront the animal,” Von Glahn said. “Don’t run away. Act larger than what you are, make a lot of noise, and call the police department.”

Police said the mountain lion spotted on the video does not appear to be aggressive, but they want people to be cautious.

“I am not scared, but it can be dangerous so it’s a concern, yeah,” Yang said. “I probably won’t go out late at night.”