A man who allegedly stole a motor home that was parked on a Matadero Avenue block in Palo Alto last week was arrested in East Palo Alto on Oct. 25 after police officers saw the stolen vehicle driving around Ravenswood Shopping Center, according to a police news release.

East Palo Alto police stopped the driver, a 27-year-old East Palo Alto resident, as he was driving on Wilks Street near Gates Street, police said. They then notified detectives at the Palo Alto Police Department, who took custody of the man and returned the motor home to its owner, Palo Alto police said.

Detectives have been looking for the thief for nearly a week, since early Friday morning, when a man reported that his motor home was stolen while he was sleeping in a car that was parked directly in front of it. The man woke up when he heard the engine starting on the motor home and he confronted the driver, who ultimately pushed the owner down the driver’s side step and drove away, police said.

East Palo Alto police spotted the stolen motor home close to Ravenswood Shopping Center, just east of U.S. Highway 101, according to the police. They stopped the vehicle a few blocks away from the shopping area and detained the man and the female passenger who was in the motor home.

Police said the man was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for carjacking and elder abuse, both felonies, police said. The female passenger, who police said was not involved in the carjacking, was released by the East Palo Alto police, according to the news release.

Editor's Note: Palo Alto Online's policy is to withhold the names of those arrested for most crimes until the District Attorney has determined there is sufficient evidence to file charges in the case. See our guidelines here.