Multi-agency investigation links Redwood City man to two home invasion sexual assaults in Redwood City and San Carlos
Redwood City, California – Two homes. Two communities. Two women attacked while they slept. What first appeared to be separate crimes in Redwood City and San Carlos is now one investigation, with authorities saying the same suspect is tied to both cases.
The break came after days of police work, evidence gathering and coordination between two agencies. By July 10, prosecutors had filed multiple felony charges against 30-year-old Redwood City resident Jose Manuel Gonzalez Cruz.
According to the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office, the most recent incident began during the early morning hours of July 5, when Redwood City police were called to the 400 block of Jackson Avenue for suspicious circumstances. Investigators said an unknown man had unlawfully entered a home while the residents were asleep, sexually assaulted an adult woman and fled before officers arrived.
Detectives moved quickly. Their investigation included interviews with witnesses, neighborhood canvasses, the collection of surveillance footage, forensic evidence and the pursuit of numerous leads.
Two evenings later, on July 7, Redwood City detectives located Cruz in the 400 block of Vera Avenue and identified him as the suspect in the Jackson Avenue case.
As detectives continued examining the evidence, they learned Cruz had also surfaced as a possible suspect in an earlier San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office investigation. That case dated back to May 10 in the 1700 block of Walnut Street in San Carlos.
Sheriff’s deputies said an unknown man had entered a residence there without permission and sexually assaulted an adult female resident before fleeing. The circumstances closely resembled what investigators later encountered in Redwood City.
Detectives from the Redwood City Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office then compared evidence and investigative findings from both cases. According to the Sheriff’s Office news release, the joint investigation ultimately determined that Cruz was the suspect in both incidents.
Cruz was booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility on July 8. Two days later, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office filed charges connected to both investigations.
The charges include two counts of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense during the commission of a first-degree burglary, attempted first-degree burglary, peeking or prying while loitering, and indecent exposure.
Authorities are now asking the public to help determine whether there may be additional incidents or encounters.
Anyone with information about the Redwood City investigation, or anyone who believes they had contact with Cruz under similar circumstances, is asked to call the Redwood City Police Department Investigations Bureau at (650) 780-7100.
Information connected to the San Carlos case can be reported to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office at (650) 363-4911.
