Family Reports Terrifying Home Invasion With Fake Pizza Delivery Man

Three suspects forced their way on Sunday night into a Palo Alto home a family recently moved into, police said.

Around 9:45 p.m. Sunday, police dispatch received a call from a resident in the 4200 block of Suzanne Drive, off of Arastradero Road, to report strangers were inside the home, police said. Arriving officers were unable to find the suspects, according to police.

The residents, a couple in their 40s and their adult daughter and two other children, ages 8 and 11, had moved into the home within the past week, police said.

On Sunday night, the adult daughter answered a knock on the door and opened it to find one of the suspects with a pizza delivery bag, according to police. The suspect claimed he was bringing an order to the family, but the daughter denied him, police said.

As the daughter closed the door, the suspect pushed his way inside with two other men wearing masks, according to police. One of the masked men had a semi-automatic pistol and the other had a knife, police said. The suspects were stopped at the home’s entrance, where the mother confronted them, according to police.

One of the men covered the mother’s mouth with his hand to stop her from screaming, according to police. The father ran to the entryway and the suspects ran away from the home, police said. The mother suffered a small scratch near her mouth that did not require medical attention, police said.

The suspects were inside the home for less than a minute and did not take anything from the residence, according to police.

A witness heard a car speed away from the area but did not see the vehicle, police said. Police have released a sketch of the first suspect who had the pizza delivery bag.

He is described as a white man in his 20s standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing around 170 pounds with blond hair and brown eyes. He wore a white long-sleeve shirt under a red short-sleeve shirt, which had yellow and white writing on the front, police said.

The two masked suspects were described as men standing roughly 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 220 pounds with muscular builds. They wore all black clothing and black masks, according to police.

Detectives believe the suspects targeted the home and that this home invasion an isolated incident, police said.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police dispatch at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be sent by email to paloalto@tipnow.org or text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.

--Bay City News