Palo Alto police were searching for a man who exposed himself to two girls Wednesday afternoon while driving without pants through the city's neighborhoods.
Police received a report about 8 p.m. that the suspect exposed himself about 4:40 p.m. to a 12-year-old girl who was walking her dog southbound on Newell Road approaching North California Avenue, police said.
A man sitting in a parked car called out to her as she passed and asked her for directions, and before she continued walking, she noticed he wasn't wearing pants or underwear and was touching himself, police said.
The car then drove away northbound on Newell. The victim later told her parents about the incident, and they called police.
The second indecent exposure case occurred at about 5:55 p.m. and involved a 16-year-old girl who was riding her bicycle westbound on Coleridge Avenue, approaching Bryant Street, police said. A vehicle pulled alongside her, and she saw that the driver was not wearing any pants or underwear and was masturbating. He did not speak to her, police said.
The victims both described the suspect as a thin white male driving a newer-model light-colored four-door sedan. The older victim estimated the suspect’s age as being in his 20s or 30s, police said.
Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call the police department's 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. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
