Palo Alto Overnight Burglary Probed

PALO ALTO, CA — Police are investigating a rare overnight Palo Alto burglary, authorities said.

A couple in their sixties reported a burglary at their home in 1100 block of Hamilton Ave. Thursday morning at around 6:20 a.m. They told police they had discovered two exterior doors to their home open when they woke up.

Electronic items and keys to a vehicle were stolen from the home, but the vehicle itself was not stolen.

Police believe the incident occurred between 4:10 a.m. to 6:15 a.m.

No force was used to enter the home.

Police believe the suspect may have found a house key hidden outside the residence that was used to enter the home. There is no surveillance video of the suspect.

The victims have since rekeyed their home and the ignition of their vehicle.

Overnight residential burglaries are extremely rare in Palo Alto. Most residential burglars commit their crimes during the day, when homes are unoccupied and the chance of a confrontation with a resident are correspondingly reduced.

Police said there is no evidence linking this incident with an Oct. 12 overnight burglary spree in Palo Alto.

Police recommend that residents with side gates at their homes put locks on them to prevent easy unauthorized access to their property.

Residents who choose to hide a key outside your residence in the event they get locked out should recognize the potential risk. As an alternative, residents should leave a spare house key with a trusted neighbor.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Palo Alto Police Department’s 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.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the PAPD’s free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.