PALO ALTO (KRON) — Police in Palo Alto are searching for a man who exposed himself to a 7-year-old girl during recess on Monday, authorities said.
Police received a report around 6:15 p.m. of an indecent exposure that happened around 12 p.m. at Ohlone Elementary School located at 950 Amarillo Avenue.
The young girl was playing on campus during the lunch recess when she ran around the back side of a classroom on the west edge of the campus.
That’s when she noticed a man standing off school property on the other side of the fence watching the children play.
The man, whose pants were unbuttoned, made eye contact with the girl and based on the victim’s description, police believe the suspect was masturbating.
The man did not say anything to the girl and she left the area. The victim later told her parents who then notified police.
It is unknown if any other children saw the suspect, police said.
The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his late 30s or early 40s with a thin build. He was unshaven with a goatee. He was wearing a black sweatshirt, blue jeans, and blue and gray tennis shoes.
It is unknown if a sketch of the suspect will become available.
Police say the suspect was standing on the property of the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple at 2751 Louis Road.
Detectives are investigating to determine if this incident is connected to any other indecent exposure cases.
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. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
