Backyard Prowler Brandishes Knife Before Fleeing

Published on April 14, 2022

Palo Alto, CA – An unknown suspect prowling in a home’s backyard Wednesday evening brandished a small knife after the resident confronted him through a window.  The suspect fled on foot and remains at large.

On Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at about 6:19 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a resident of the 4000 block of Park Boulevard reporting a prowler who had just left their backyard.  Police responded immediately but were not able to locate the suspect.

The investigation revealed that the victim, a man in his forties, was in his home when he noticed a stranger in his backyard, peering into a window.  The victim confronted the suspect through the window, at which point the suspect produced a small kitchen knife and brandished it.  The suspect then fled on foot northbound on Park Boulevard, and the victim promptly called the police.  The suspect was able to access the victim’s backyard via an unlocked side yard gate.

The victim described the suspect as a white male of unknown age, about 5 feet 5 inches tall with a stocky build.  The victim said the suspect was wearing all black clothing, as well as a white face covering with image of “monster teeth” on it.  No surveillance footage exists at this point.  There have been no similar incidents reported to police recently in Palo Alto.

Residential burglars often access backyards during the daylight via unlocked side yard gates; they prefer to look for ways to enter the home in the backyard where they have more privacy from passersby.  Police recommend placing a lock on side yard gates.  Residential burglars do not desire confrontations or witnesses, and usually choose to target homes they believe are not occupied.  For more crime prevention tips to help you stay safe, visit /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 paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.