Police Investigating Reported Assault on Baylands Trail

Published on January 21, 2025

Palo Alto, CA – A man reported being sexually assaulted and robbed Monday morning on a trail at the Baylands Nature Preserve.  The suspect is at large.

On Monday, January 20, 2025, at about 10:10 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a man reporting that he had just been sexually assaulted and robbed on a trail in the Baylands Nature Preserve at 2500 Embarcadero Road.  Officers arrived on scene shortly thereafter but were not able to locate the suspect.

The victim reported to officers that, at about 9:45 a.m., he had been riding his e-bicycle on the Adobe Creek Loop Trail just south of the Compass Rose area of Byxbee Park. The victim reported that he dismounted his e-bicycle in order to use his mobile telephone.  According to the victim, as he was using his telephone, a man tackled him from behind and began searching his pockets.  The victim reported that the suspect then forcibly removed his pants and sexually assaulted him.  According to the victim, after the assault, the suspect used the victim’s e-bicycle to flee southbound on the trail, also taking the victim’s pants and wallet. 

The victim described the suspect as a male in his early twenties, possibly white, wearing a black sweatshirt and white shorts. 

No similar crimes have occurred in Palo Alto recently.  Detectives are seeking witnesses who were on the trail Monday morning and may have seen something relevant to this incident. 

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.