A Palo Alto man in the 3100 block of Cowper Street heard a knock on his door yesterday morning, but didn’t respond because he was in a virtual meeting, police said.
About 90 minutes later he heard footsteps in his home. He thought he was the only person home.
When he went to investigate, he saw a stranger in his hallway. He called out to the intruder, but the man ran out the front door, police said.
Police believe the intruder got in through an unlocked backdoor. He wasn’t able to steal anything before he ran off.
The resident couldn’t get much of description of the man because he wore a black face mask and all black clothing. Police don’t think they’ll be able to release a sketch.
Police say that most home burglars strike during the day, when homes are more likely to be unoccupied and the chance of a confrontation with a resident is reduced.
Many burglars will first knock on the front door in an attempt to see if anyone is home; if you answer, they will often come up with an excuse of why they knocked and then quickly leave, police say.
If they do not receive an answer, though, they will often enter the rear yard, where they can then attempt to locate a way into the home free of being witnessed by passersby.
When you hear a knock at your front door, police recommend acknowledging you are home by talking to the visitor through the front door without opening it if you are not expecting anyone.
If you have a side yard gate, police recommend putting a lock on it to prevent easy unauthorized access to your property.
For more crime prevention tips to help you stay safe, including more information on what to do when a stranger comes to your door, visit the Palo Alto Police Department’s Crime Prevention Tips page at cityofpaloalto.org/StopCrime/.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.