Thief Enters Garage, Steals Cash and Car Key

Published on December 22, 2021

Palo Alto, CA – Police are investigating a case where an unknown suspect entered a garage between midnight and 7 a.m. to steal cash and a car key.

On Monday, December 20, 2021, at about 9:46 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting a theft from a locked garage at a home in the 700 block of Allen Court that had been discovered around 7 a.m.

The investigation revealed that the victim, a man in his sixties and resident of the home, reported that an unknown suspect had entered his locked garage between midnight and 7 a.m. and stole two envelopes containing about four thousand dollars of cash.  Also missing was a car key to a vehicle parked outside the home.  The vehicle was not stolen or disturbed.  The suspect also pre-positioned some tools from inside the garage to outside, as though intending to steal them as well.  When employees of the victim arrived at 7 a.m., they discovered the garage door open with the tools outside.

It appears as though the suspect entered the garage through a locked side door, possibly using a key hidden outside the door.  There were no signs of forced entry.  The suspect did not enter the residence itself.

If you choose to hide a key outside your residence in the event you ever get locked out, recognize that involves a potential risk; as an alternative, consider leaving a spare house key with a trusted neighbor.  Additionally, police encourage residents to promptly report suspicious circumstances or suspicious behavior.  For more crime prevention tips to help you stay safe, visit our Crime Prevention Tips page.

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.