Police are investigating a sexual battery case that occurred on Thursday February 19, 2026. An unknown suspect touched the victim while they were sleeping on the 200 block of University Avenue.1
On Thursday, February 19, 2026, at about 3:10 p.m., the victim, a female in her fifties, came to the Palo Alto Police Department to report that she had been touched while she was sleeping. The victim reported that she was sleeping with all her belongings around her on the 200 block of University Avenue at approximately 2:00 a.m. The victim reported that she was awoken when she felt the suspect touching her. The victim sat up and the suspect fled the scene. The victim was not physically injured from the incident. The victim described the suspect as a Black male about 40 years old.
Officers conducted follow-up in the area and were able to locate surveillance footage of the suspect. Detectives are actively investigating this case. There have been no similar cases reported recently to the police in Palo Alto.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984, or submitted using the “TipNow-Palo Alto” app, which is available via the App Store or Google Play.
To read this release on the city's website and view a photo of the suspect, click here: https://www.paloalto.gov/News-Articles/Police-Department/Police-Investigate-Downtown-Sexual-Battery
