Police Investigate Overnight Carjacking

Published on October 21, 2023

Palo Alto, CA – Police are investigating a carjacking that occurred early Friday morning, where an unknown suspect took a motorhome and struck another vehicle. The suspect is at large.

On Friday, October 20, 2023, at about 12:35 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of a carjacking that had just occurred on the 400 block of Matadero Avenue. Officers responded immediately but could not locate the suspect.

The investigation revealed that the victim, a man in his sixties, had been asleep in his parked vehicle when he was awakened by the sound of the engine starting on his motorhome, which was parked along the curb line immediately behind him.  The victim observed a male subject seated in the driver’s seat of the motorhome and climbed on the driver’s side step to confront him.  A brief struggle ensued as the victim unsuccessfully attempted to pull the suspect from the vehicle.  The suspect then backed up the motorhome, colliding with the vehicle parked behind it.  The victim fell from the step and the suspect fled in the motorhome, where he was last seen traveling northbound on El Camino Real.  It appears that the suspect accessed the motorhome via an open window and located a set of keys inside.  The victim sustained minor injuries to his extremities but declined medical attention. 

The victim described the suspect as a white male in his twenties, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing approximately 190 pounds.  He had dark hair and a closely trimmed mustache, and was wearing a white shirt and blue pants. 

The victim’s motorhome, a tan Ford Fleetwood with a brown stripe, remains outstanding.

Police are actively investigating this case.  There have been no similar incidents in Palo Alto recently.

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.