Crime & Safety

Peninsula Area Indecent Exposure Suspect Sought

BREAKING: The victim said she was eating lunch in her car when a man emerged from the bushes and exposed himself.

SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA -- Police are seeking the public’s assistance with identifying a man who exposed himself near the entrance to the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve.

An investigation began around 1:39 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 when the Palo Alto Police 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a woman reporting an indecent exposure that had occurred on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 20 near the intersection of Embarcadero Road and Embarcadero Way.

The victim, a woman in her thirties, said she was parked on Embarcadero Road eating lunch in her car when she noticed a man emerge from some bushes about 50 to 60 feet away. She said she watched as he unzipped his pants and held his penis in his hands. The victim said the man was not urinating or masturbating.

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The suspect exposed himself for about 30 seconds, and then walked away westbound on Embarcadero Road, eventually passing by the victim’s car and actually making eye contact with her briefly. The victim did not think the suspect knew she was there at the time he exposed himself, nor did she see any other people in the area to whom the suspect would have intentionally exposed himself. The suspect did not have a vehicle that the victim saw.

The victim described the suspect as an unkempt white male in his forties, about 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium build and a potbelly. He was wearing a green long-sleeved buttoned dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up that was tucked into green dress pants. He had short brown hair and a light complexion.

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Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the PAPD'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 Palo Alto Police's free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

Image via Shutterstock

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