A bicycle thief cut down a small street tree in order to lift the target bike over the stump in front of the Palo Alto Weekly building at 450 Cambridge Ave.
The bicycle belonged to a summer intern working on a project at the Weekly. The theft is believed to have occurred Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
The thief apparently used a handsaw to cut the Chinese pistachio tree about six feet above the ground, and had to lift the bike and lock over the stump and a metal supporting pole. The tree was less than 2 inches in diameter where it was cut.
Police are seeking leads in the case.