Palo Alto PD warn about at-large suspects targeting elderly victims
(KRON) — Authorities are warning about two at-large thieves targeting elderly victims, according to a press release Monday from the Palo Alto Police Department. Police reported two incidents that occurred on Friday.
Detectives believe these incidents are related and will continue to investigate if these suspects are behind other similar crimes in the area, PAPD said. One victim was in their 80s and the other in their 70s. Both incidents involved a dark gray sedan..
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The first incident happened Friday afternoon near the intersection of Nelson Drive and Adobe Place. According to PAPD, the theft, which victimized a man in his 80s, happened around 3 p.m. The victim was walking on the sidewalk when a dark gray sedan driven by a man with a female passenger pulled over next to the elderly man.
Police said the woman was asking for directions, and the victim responded to seemingly help. The woman got out of the car to 'place jewelry on the victim.' The victim declined and pushed the woman away. The woman got back into the sedan, and the suspects drove off.
However, according to PAPD, the victim returned home to later discover the woman had stolen his ring — which was valued at more than $1,000 — at the same time she tried to place the jewelry on him.
The victim described the suspects as Middle Eastern, PAPD said. The female suspect was described as 'short and stocky' and wore a light-colored scarf over her hair.
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The second incident — an attempted theft — happened Friday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of Williams Street and Stanford Avenue.
The victim, a woman in her 70s, told police that a dark gray sedan pulled up next to her as she was walking on the sidewalk, according to PAPD. The sedan was driven by a man and had a female passenger. The woman got out of the car and attempted to place jewelry on the elderly victim.
PAPD said the victim refused to accept the jewelry and 'clung tightly' to her own jewelry in fear the female suspect was trying to steal from her. The suspect returned to the car and drove off with the male driver, police said.
The victim described the suspects as Middle Eastern, providing the same description as the woman mentioned in the first incident. PAPD said the female suspect was 'short and stocky, wearing a light-colored head scarf over her hair.'
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Although not definitive, PAPD believes the two incidents are related to each other. The two incidents happened about three miles from each other in Palo Alto.
Anyone with information is asked to contact PAPD at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message/voicemail to 650-383-8984.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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