Amazon Van Stolen In Palo Alto, Recovered In San Jose: Police

PALO ALTO, CA — A woman was arrested last week after police allege she stole an Amazon delivery van in Palo Alto and drove it to the parking lot of a San Jose warehouse.

Police said an Amazon driver called 911 last Thursday afternoon to report an unknown person had stolen his van, full of packages, while he was delivering to addresses on West Charleston Road. The man told officers he had left the van running to make a delivery and returned to see it driving away toward El Camino Real.

Detectives worked with Amazon dispatchers to track the van's live location and intercepted the driver as she exited the vehicle at an Amazon facility in San Jose. Police said the woman was not an Amazon worker, and she told officers she had needed a ride back to San Jose. All packages were accounted for, and the woman was arrested without incident.

Investigators identified the woman as Elena Flores, 36, of San Jose. She was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of felony theft and committing a felony while out on bail.