A resident investigating a loud noise at his home interrupted a residential burglary on Friday evening, with the unknown suspect fleeing the scene as they heard the resident coming downstairs.
On Friday, April 21, 2023, at about 8:45 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a resident of a home in the 1500 block of Dana Avenue reporting a suspicious circumstance. The resident, a man in his twenties, reported that someone had broken the glass of the rear door of his home about 15 minutes earlier.
The investigation revealed that the man had been upstairs when he heard a loud crashing noise. When he ran downstairs to see what had occurred, he found the glass of the home’s rear door shattered. He then heard the sound of a person running outside, and the sound of a car driving away. The victim did not see the suspect, nor does it appear that the suspect had made it inside the home. Nothing was stolen. Police believe it is possible the suspect thought the home to be unoccupied, but upon hearing the victim run downstairs, fled the scene instead.
Most residential burglars commit their crimes during the day, when homes are more likely to be unoccupied and the chance of a confrontation with a resident are correspondingly reduced. 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. 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 at www.cityofpaloalto.org/StopCrime.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.
