Palo Alto Police are looking for a crew of home burglars with 11 cases since October 9, where the burglars are stealing jewelry and other valuables from unoccupied homes during the dinnertime hours. No arrests have been made but officers and detectives are actively investigating the cases.
The trend indicates the crimes are occurring in unoccupied homes between 7 and 9 p.m., often on Friday and Saturday nights, in multiple neighborhoods of town, usually with entry being made via smashing glass doors in rear yards. Some of the homes have had alarms sound; other homes have not had their alarms armed. In all cases, the homes have been unoccupied at the time of the crimes. In all cases, the burglars are rummaging through the rooms and appear to be focused on stealing jewelry and safes.
While police are still actively investigating the cases and working with regional partners to explore any possible connection to similar cases in other cities, it appears as though at least several of the cases have been committed by the same group of between two and four suspects. A review of the surveillance footage from the burglaries (where such footage exists) indicates that the suspects appear to be Hispanic males in their twenties, typically wearing hooded sweatshirts, face coverings, and gloves. Police are not releasing surveillance footage at this time, due to the suspects not being readily identifiable from it.
Officers have increased patrols, both marked and plainclothes, in residential areas. Police ask that residents keep an eye out for suspicious activity, and immediately report it to us by calling our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. If you have a side yard gate, police recommend putting a lock on it to prevent easy unauthorized access to your property. Police also recommend securing all windows and doors overnight and arming your alarm system whenever you are not home. If you choose to hide a key outside your residence in the event you ever get locked out, recognize that involves a potential risk; as an alternative, consider leaving a spare house key with a trusted neighbor. For more crime prevention tips to help you stay safe, visit our Crime Prevention Tips page.
Here is a list of the residential burglaries that police believe are associated with this trend, along with additional information of note on some:
October 9, 4200 block Manuela Drive. Three suspects in a dark gray sedan.
October 22, 1000 block Moffett Circle. Two suspects.
October 22, 700 block Rosewood Drive. Two suspects in a gray sedan.
October 22, 900 block Van Auken Circle.
October 28, 4200 block Briarwood Way.
October 28, 4200 block Briarwood Way (separate from above).
October 29, 3400 block Waverley Street.
October 29, 700 block Florales Drive. Four suspects in a white SUV.
November 3, 2300 block Waverley Street.
November 4, 3600 block Louis Road. Locked gun safe with 9 firearms (all legally owned and registered) secured inside stolen.
November 5, 200 block Tennyson Avenue. Two suspects in a white SUV.
Anyone with information about this crime trend or any of these burglaries is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.
