Gilroy Just days after police arrested a man on suspicion of
trying to kidnap a teen girl, another man tried to lure an
11-year-old girlinto his van.
Gilroy
Just days after police arrested a man on suspicion of trying to kidnap a teen girl, another man tried to lure an 11-year-old girlinto his van.
The girl was walking on a Church Street sidewalk between Fourth and Fifth streets about 2:05 p.m. Monday, when a man drove up to her in his white van and asked her if she needed a ride. The girl ran to her nearby house and peeked out the window. The van continued driving, past the girl’s house and out of her sight. She then ran to her mother’s workplace and her mother called the police.
The victim’s house was dark and no one was at home Tuesday afternoon. However, neighbors sat on the porch of well-kept Victorian-style homes, watching cars whiz by a row of parked vehicles.
“I’ve never heard of anything happening here” before, said Emily Reyes, who watched her 10-year-old daughter from the front screen door while the girl played outside. “I’ll be a lot more aware since (Monday’s incident was) close to home.”
The victim said the suspect was 40 to 50 years old and wearing a straw hat. The van had chipped paint, damage to the front fender and an orange ladder on the roof.
Witnesses in three earlier possible attempted kidnappings also identified white vans:
- Early August, a man followed a female out of a convenience store and pursued her in his white van.
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Aug. 30, an older Hispanic man driving a marred white van followed and approached a 17-year-old female outside her house.
n Sept. 14, a younger Hispanic man approached a 17-year-old male near Gilroy High School and offered him a ride in a marked white van.
However, police are investigating these incidents separately, Sgt. Jim Gillio said.
“We’re not sure if these are linked or not, given the limited information available,” he said.
The incidents involving vans were part of a rash of suspicious incidents since August of drivers in white vehicles pursuing youth that include the mid-October stalking and attempted kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl on Adler Court in southwest Gilroy.
Friday, police arrested 26-year-old Jose David Gonzalez-Raygoza on suspicion of attempted kidnapping, annoying or molesting a child, and driving without a license.
A 16-year-old girl said Gonzalez-Raygoza told her to get in his truck as she was walking home from high school along Glenview Drive, about 3 p.m. Friday. The girl ran home and told her mother about the incident.
During that afternoon, she and her mother spotted Gonzalez-Raygoza three more times, including while the police were taking their statements. When the girl pointed out the white truck he was driving, police went over to a 76 gas station parking lot near the intersection of 10th and Monterey streets and arrested him at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also put an immigration hold on him.
Police believe Gonzalez-Raygoza might be involved in an Oct 7. incident, when an older Hispanic male with black hair and moustache followed a 10-year-old girl in a white truck. Police are also investigating whether Gonzalez-Raygoza was involved in any other of the suspicious incidents, though a resident of the house where he rented a room said Gonzalez-Raygoza did not drive any other white vehicles besides the truck.
Monday’s attempted kidnapping suggests Gonzalez-Raygoza is not the only person involved in the incidents of the past three months, Gillio said. Police will continue their stepped-up patrols, especially in areas where incidents have occurred, he said. Likewise, residents across the city should keep their guards up.
“We’re still encouraging the community to remain vigilant,” he said.
SUSPICIOUS INCIDENTS
- Early August: Man pursues woman in white van
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Aug. 30: Older Hispanic man driving a marred white van approaches 17-year-old female outside her house
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Sept. 14: Younger Hispanic man approaches 17-year-old male near Gilroy High School and offers him a ride in a marked white van
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Oct. 7: Man in white pickup follows 10-year-old girl outside residence near Glen View school
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Oct. 15: Man in white sedan watches two young girls outside Alder Street residence
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Oct. 17: Same man in white sedan approaches one of the two girls
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Nov. 9: Man arrested after trying to kidnap 16-year-old girl walking home from GHS
-Nov. 12: Older man in white van asks 11-year-old on Church Street if she wants a ride
