A student walking to school witnessed a grisly sight along the bike path to Paly on Tuesday morning, allegedly seeing a man engaging in lewd acts in the bushes along the trail.

“I was walking towards the Paly campus, next to the railroad tracks over Embarcadero, when I saw a strange man doing something in the bushes,” said the witness, who requested to remain anonymous. “After a few seconds, I realized what was happening, so I immediately went to the front office and told them what happened.”

Paly administrators asked the witness, a sophomore at Paly, a few questions, and thereafter reported the incident to the Palo Alto Police Department.

“They [the front office] asked me a few questions about what happened,” the witness said. “After I answered everything, they called the PAPD to tell them what happened.”

According to the witness and administrator Jerry Berkson, the incident occurred at around 7:45 a.m. along the railroad tracks which run parallel to the Paly campus.

“The witness told us what happened, and we immediately told the police everything,” Berkson said. “We take this situation very seriously, so I believe officers have been put in the area to help secure it, and search for the man.”

According to a letter sent out to the Paly community yesterday, and read to 4th period classes around Paly, the man is “a middle-aged heavyset male, with a dark-complexion.”

Signed by Paly Principal Scott Laurence, the note states that “the District, working collaboratively with the PAPD, will continue to maintain our vigilance to ensure our students’ safety.”

Any sighting of the man near Paly should be reported to the PAPD, which can be reached at (650) 329-2413.