A man used his son's bike to chase down a suspected burglar Monday evening after the man and his family returned to their home in the 300 block of Kingsley Avenue to discover it had been recently burglarized, Palo Alto police said.

Agent Marianna Villaescusa said the family arrived home around 7:51 p.m. and noticed a young man on a bicycle circling the area in front of the house "doing figure eights." Upon entering the house the family noticed that the backdoor was open and heard a commotion on the east side of the home, Villaescusa said. The family quickly realized a burglary had occurred, and the man called police and used his son's bike -- which had been moved to the front of a neighbor's house -- to chase after the young bicyclist, she said.

About a half a block up, the man spotted three teenage boys in a small alley at the same time a police officer arrived.

"They looked really startled when they saw him," Villaescusa said.

The responding officer detained the three boys, all juveniles, who seemed "very nervous," she said. The boys said they were on their way to Greer Park to play basketball but then started to give conflicting statements, and two of the boys lied about their names, Villaescusa said. Another officer arrived to do an area check and discovered stolen items hidden in a bush near where the juveniles were detained. It was later discovered that the items -- including jewelry, U.S. currency and a pocket knife -- had been taken from the Kingsley residence, she said.

One of the youths was taken to juvenile hall and the other two were released to a juvenile center, Villaescusa said. All three were cited for burglary and conspiracy, and two were also cited for giving false information to a police officer.

The boy on the bicycle was not found and is wanted in connection with the burglary. He is of an unknown race, approximately 18 years old, 5-feet-10-inches tall, weighing 150 pounds with long black hair and wearing dark clothing, Villaescusa said. She added that police do not know if the juveniles are associated with other burglaries and that detectives are still investigating the case.

— Tyler Hanley

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