Olympic skater Castelli loses custom costumes, skates in SF car burglary

Marissa Castelli is congratulated after the pairs team short program at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 Marissa Castelli is congratulated after the pairs team short program at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 Photo: DARRON CUMMINGS, AFP/Getty Images Photo: DARRON CUMMINGS, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Olympic skater Castelli loses custom costumes, skates in SF car burglary 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

Everything from guns to pricey tech gadgets to urns with ashes inside has been stolen in San Francisco’s notorious epidemic of car break-ins. Now, add one-of-a-kind ice skating costumes to the list.

Marissa Castelli, a pair skater who competed in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, was participating in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose over the past week and spent Monday sightseeing in San Francisco before flying home to Rhode Island on Monday night.

The sport utility vehicle her parents had rented was parked in Japantown while she and her family were at a restaurant eating ramen. When they returned after about 90 minutes, they found a window was smashed and several pieces of luggage were missing.

Castelli said most of the stolen items can be replaced, but she is devastated that two ice skating dresses, custom-made and worth more than $1,000 apiece, were taken. One is dark blue, the other is sparkly and light peach. She said there’s no way they can be used by anybody else, because everybody in the know would spot them immediately as hers.

“I was devastated,” she said Tuesday. “I know it happens, but it’s just so personal when you lose something like your skating dresses, because there’s only one in the world. They’re made exactly for me.”

Castelli, whose skates were also stolen, said she called 911 immediately. Such calls are now diverted to 311 if the break-in is over and no suspect is nearby. She filed an online police report and said anybody who knows anything about the theft should contact her on Twitter at @MarissaCastelli.

“We take these seriously and we’re glad she filed a report,” said David Stevenson, a San Francisco police spokesman. “We want to do everything we can to help people recover their property.”

San Francisco’s car burglary rate has soared in recent years, frustrating residents, workers and tourists. More than 30,000 break-ins were reported in 2017, an all-time record that represented a 24 percent jump from 2016. All 10 police districts saw a year-to-year rise — including a 34 percent increase in the Northern District, which includes Japantown.

This week, the Police Department announced a citywide effort in which it will dedicate new officers to district stations to fight property crimes like burglaries.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Evan Sernoffsky contributed to this report.

Heather Knight is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightSF