Menlo Oaks Suspicious Vehicle Report

Notable Incidents - Feb 23, 2026 (24-hour summary)

• 8:38 AM - Suspicious person at vehicle: Person in gray/black clothing looking into vehicles, then hiding in parking lot at Bright Angel Montessori area (likely Menlo Park area).
• 9:02-9:04 AM - Storage break-in: "Storage break" reported in progress ~20 minutes prior to call. Suspects fled on foot southbound. Officer collecting witness statements.
• 1:43 PM - Prowler (child contact): WMA, late 40s-60s, gray hair, green jacket, black pants at Santa Cruz & Curtis area. Approached children asking for directions, then followed them making them uncomfortable. No further suspect info available.
• 9:11-9:18 PM - Unknown vehicle in residential driveway: Vehicle parked in driveway of residence on off-hours (not belonging to homeowner). Subjects inside vehicle on cell phone, motion sensor activity detected on garage side. Plates run: one vehicle (silver) belonged to resident, second vehicle (2013 Infinity, Toyota ending 880 out of Palo Alto) associated to occupant. Investigation involved domestic violence protective order flags.
• 10:13 PM - License plate theft: Plate stolen off Mazda in Whole Foods parking lot (528 High Street, Palo Alto area). Plate removed and placed on black Mazda or black Volvo SUV. Hit & run incident recorded by automated system.

Summary: Mix of property crime (theft, burglary), suspicious persons, and prowler activity. Most transcription quality is poor; several incidents lack clear location specificity. No major pursuits in the Menlo Oaks/Berkeley Ave area specifically.

Notable community-safety items (past 24h, based on noisy auto-transcripts):

• Possible attempted break-in / prowler behavior (Menlo Park): Around 8:38–9:04 AM, caller at/near Bright Angel Montessori (695 Bay Rd area) reported a male looking into vehicles and hiding in a parking lot; follow-up traffic suggests possible attempted storage/lock tampering, with suspects described as leaving on foot southbound.
• Suspicious person around children (Menlo Park): Around 1:43 PM near Santa Cruz Ave & Curtis St, report of an older male who asked kids for directions and then followed them, making them uncomfortable.
• Suspicious vehicle at residence (Menlo Park / Willow area): Around 9:11 PM near 175 East (off Willow Rd), unknown car/idling occupant and motion-light activation prompted response; later appears to have been cleared as a delivery driver.
• Stolen plate / vehicle-related theft pattern (Menlo Park + nearby Palo Alto): Multiple calls about stolen/mismatched plates, including a BOLO from Palo Alto PD (~10:13 PM) for plate theft at Whole Foods, 528 High St, with ALPR hit near Bayfront/Marsh.
• Suspicious activity at possibly vacant home (Atherton): Around 7:46 PM near 390 Green Oaks, report of people with flashlights around a house believed unoccupied (possible prowling/casing).
• Stolen property calls (East Palo Alto): Afternoon traffic includes a stolen trailer locate request (GPS near Monalto Ave) and a stolen e-bike tracking assist near Donahoe/University corridor.
• High-risk driving / evasive vehicle (East Palo Alto): Around 3:37–3:42 PM, a silver Mercedes reportedly failed to yield and ran stop signs/red lights near Euclid, Lincoln/Bell, East Bayshore, University; units reported “long-eye” tracking rather than full pursuit at times.

Menlo Oaks / Berkeley Ave / Coleman Ave focus: No clear direct references to Berkeley Ave or Coleman Ave in these logs. Nearest relevant corridor activity was around Willow Rd, University Ave, Marsh/Bayfront and nearby residential streets.

Notable Incidents & Community Safety Summary (Feb 23-24, 2026)

• Suspicious Persons & Prowlers:
  • Green Oaks, Atherton: A resident reported suspicious subjects with flashlights seen at a nearby residence that should have been unoccupied. (Note: Green Oaks is adjacent to the Menlo Oaks neighborhood).
  • Bright Angel Montessori (Bay Rd): Report of a male subject in a gray hoodie and black shorts looking into vehicles and hiding in the parking lot.
  • Santa Cruz Ave & Curtis St: A male subject (WMA, 40s-60s, green jacket) was reported for following children and asking for directions, causing significant discomfort.
  • Storage Security Tampering: Two subjects (one described as a BM in a black city hoodie, the other PI in a blue hoodie) were seen attempting to bypass a security lock for a storage unit before fleeing southbound on foot.
• Thefts & Stolen Property:
  • Stolen E-Bike: A stolen e-bike was tracked via GPS to the 630 block of Donahoe St in East Palo Alto; police assisted in recovery.
  • Stolen Items Found: Items from a previous Menlo Park theft (Case 394) were recovered by a citizen at Freer Park.
  • License Plate Theft: A license plate was stolen from a vehicle at the Palo Alto Whole Foods; the plate later triggered a "Flock" camera hit at Bayfront and Marsh Rd on a black Mazda or Volvo SUV.
• Vehicle Pursuits & Stolen Vehicles:
  • High-Speed Pursuit: EPAPD units attempted to stop a silver Mercedes for speeding on Euclid Ave. The vehicle failed to yield, reaching speeds of 50+ MPH, blowing red lights at University Ave and Bell St, and driving recklessly through a school zone during release hours.
  • Stolen Trailer: A stolen trailer was tracked via GPS to Montalto Ave in East Palo Alto, reportedly associated with an older gold sedan.
  • Stolen Plate Hit: A black Honda Accord was identified with stolen plates on Ravenswood Ave.
• Notable Locations Near Menlo Oaks:
  • Police responded to a suspicious vehicle idling for an extended period on East O'Keefe St (near Willow Rd); the subject was eventually identified as a delivery driver.
  • Traffic stops and suspicious vehicle checks were frequent at the intersection of Pulgas Ave and Oaks St.