Posted by Hmmm, a resident of East Palo Alto, on May 25, 2012 at 6:52 pm

This is incredibly maddening & I'm so sorry to read that this happened. I am glad that no one was hurt, but sheesh! What nerve - & stupidity they have.

Even w/dogs we try not to leave windows open when we leave, even for a short time. It's a hassle, but we've gotten into the habit of buttoning up the house. These losers must've been watching her & really - you should be able to leave your house a little unsecure for a short while.

FWIW, I'll keep my eyes peeled when driving around. I sure hope that they get caught in their next burglary.

Posted by neighbor, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on May 25, 2012 at 7:31 pm

Clearly not locals, these criminals.

Question for the reporter: did she (the mom) SEE the car BEFORE the crime, when she left to go pick up her kids? If so, it means they were casing the area and waiting for such opportunities as a mom going to pick up her kids from school.

Otherwise it's a random driveby/attempt at theft - not good, either, but it would be worth knowing if the mom believes she did notice this vehicle beforehand.

Perhaps we should all make an effort to notice unfamiliar vehicles parked near our homes. In my own situation, there are typically a lot of construction vehicles on our street, these change periodically over time, but I think it is possible to sort of take notice of who is there when you go out and if there is trouble when one returns one may have some leads...I have noted license numbers of suspicious vehicles near my home on occasion (though I think it has been some years since I felt necessary to do this owing to my suspicions -- feeling that just in case, I would have something to go on if trouble resulted)...

Posted by Fact, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on May 27, 2012 at 8:27 am

Local resident was robbed a few months back. A person called in the unusual activity and days later.......the thieves were caught. (YAY). We learned about the facts of the case. The FACT that horrified and dismayed me most was that the criminals emptied the house of valuables in EIGHT minutes, start to finish. Included in this was a large flat screen TV. So call PAPD immediately when you notice anything unusual. 8 minutes, that's all it took!! Locked gates and windows hinder their timing. The criminals usually do not want to waste valuable time trying to get in. They will move to the next house. Also, they drove a nice car, not a creepy beat-up, stand out vehicle.