Palo Alto police are looking for two men who they believe stole jewelry and other valuables from a home in the Fairmeadow neighborhood earlier this month and who tried to burglarize another home on the same block, but gave up when they couldn't gain entry.

Both incidents occurred the morning of Feb. 9 on Roosevelt Circle, according to police. In one case, a victim in his 40s reported to the police than an unknown suspect entered his home between 9 a.m. and noon through an unlocked sliding door at the rear of the residence, rummaged through his drawers and wound up stealing jewelry and "other personal property."

The burglars had less luck in the other home, where the doors were locked. Not only did they leave empty-handed, they left behind evidence that police hope will help them nab the burglars: surveillance footage showing the two men casing the home, knocking on the front door and trying to pull open the sliding door in the back before leaving.

The video evidence from the attempted burglary (which can be viewed here and here) shows two men trying to get into the house around 11:30 a.m. One is a heavy-set man wearing a red shirt, a gray-hooded sweatshirt, dark gray pants and gray sneakers.

The other is wearing a hooded black-and-red Star Wars jacket, gloves, blue jeans and red sneakers. The surveillance video shows the hooded man walking to the back entrance, peaking inside the home through the glass door and then trying repeatedly to slide the door open.

Police said both men appear to be Hispanic and in their 20s to 40s.

Police learned about the break-in attempt after the resident of the home, a man in his 30s, received a phone notification from his home surveillance system and called the police. Officers responded but could not locate the suspects, according to a news release from the Palo Alto Police Department.

Police believe that because of the geographic proximity, the method of entry and the similar time of occurrence, the two men are responsible for both incidents, according to the news release. Detectives are working with other law-enforcement agencies to identify the suspects and determine whether they are responsible for any other residential burglaries in Palo Alto or other communities.

Police said the technique used in these two incidents is a common one in residential burglaries. Burglars often first knock on the front door to see if anyone is home. If no one answers, they then try to enter the backyard and find a way to break into the house from there. Police recommend that residents always speak to strangers from inside (without opening the front door), place padlocks on side-yard gates and immediately report suspicious behavior by strangers.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call the Police Department's dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.