Watch CBS News

Search For Missing Hayward Man Shuts Down Oakland BART Station

OAKLAND (KCBS) - Heavily armed police officers searched a downtown Oakland storefront Thursday for clues to the whereabouts of a Hayward man missing for several weeks.

Hayward police served a search warrant at 1944 Broadway Street, prompting Bay Area Rapid Transit officials to shut down part of 19th Street BART Station during the morning commute to steer the crowds away from the police action.

Search For Missing Hayward Man Shuts Down Oakland BART Station

Cadaver dogs and evidence technicians combed through the non-descript storefront, ostensibly a tattoo parlor although police said there was very little inside the storefront that would support any kind of business, just a picnic table, a pool table and a foosball table.

The search warrant was part of the investigation into the disappearance of 34-year-old Nigel Jay of Hayward, an Alameda chef last seen on April 7.

"The last time that we can establish somebody seeing him was on the 7th and it was in and about this business," said Sgt. Eric Krimm.

"He doesn't have a history of being missing, and all aspects of his personal life that we can find ended on April 7," he said, including bank accounts and a cell phone account that have not been touched since then.

Investigators consider his disappearance suspicious and his longtime girlfriend has offered a $10,000 reward in the case.

The search Thursday began at 5:30 a.m. and lasted for several hours as downtown filled with commuters. Police at the scene offered no information about what the search might have yielded.

A police spokeswoman said neither the Oakland Police Department nor BART officers were involved in the police action.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.