Police are investigating an attempted sexual battery that occurred on Tuesday, October 21, 2026. An unknown suspect attempted to touch a teen aged victim while they were passing through the Homer tunnel.
On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at approximately 1:56 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of an attempted sexual battery that had occurred at 12:15 p.m. Officers met with the victim, a female in her teens, who reported that she was walking through the Homer Tunnel when a male, not known to her, approached her and made comments of a sexualized nature towards her. The male then attempted to grab the victim’s buttocks. The victim moved away and attempted to get away from the male. The male continued following her making further sexualized comments. Once the victim exited the tunnel, the suspect rode away on a red bicycle eastbound on Homer Avenue.
The victim described the suspect as a Black male in his forties approximately 5’10” with a thin build. The victim reported that the suspect was wearing a gray pullover hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and had a black backpack. Detectives are actively investigating this case. There have been no similar incidents 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 by texting the keyword PAPD and the tip to 847411, or submitted using the "Palo Alto PD Tips" app, which is available via the App Store or Google Play.
To view this release on the city's website, click here: https://www.paloalto.gov/News-Articles/Police-Department/Police-Investigate-Attempted-Sexual-Battery-in-the-Homer-Tunnel?transfer=22271b77-a8e4-4e5d-aca6-87bb281812a5
