Palo Alto Intruder Sat Down At Victim's Bed, Left Her Unscathed

PALO ALTO, CA -- A woman was startled early Sunday morning when an unknown man armed with a flashlight entered her Palo Alto bedroom, turned off the lights, sat next to her and began engaging in conversation with her, the Palo Alto Police Department reported.

The woman quickly left the room and was unharmed.

Soon after, the suspect exited her apartment on the 3900 block of El Camino Real. His motive, whereabouts and identity are unknown.

The dispatch center received the 3:45 a.m. call of the suspicious circumstance. When police arrived at the residence, officers interviewed two women in their 20s about the strange incident. During the encounter, the suspect did not touch the victim, make any threats or steal any items.

Detectives are actively investigating the case. It appears the suspect likely gained access to the apartment through an unlocked front door.

The victim met with a police sketch artist who produced a picture of the suspect as shown here. He is described as a Hispanic male in his mid-30s, standing 5-foot, 8-inches, weighing 180 pounds. He wore a dark-hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.