Assault prompts van tips

"We continue to get phone calls from people who have seen significant activities," Sgt. Ed Hernandez.

There are about 25 significant calls that investigators are following up on, Hernandez said.

In some cases, people have written down the license plate number of a white van in the neighborhood and called police. Other people are also reporting suspicious white van, but haven't provided complete license plate numbers.

Investigators are running all complete license plates to see if there is any reason to believe that owner may have been involved or if the car was reported stolen. Investigators are also trying to track down the complete license plate numbers of the other vans people reported.

The investigation will require a lot more work, said Hernandez.

The woman was jogging in the affluent neighborhood at 11:10 a.m. when two men armed with a handgun forced her into the back of a white van being driven a third man. She was raped and dropped off in the same area about an hour later.

The men are described as Hispanic in their mid 20s. One is 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 140 pounds. Another is 6 feet tall, thin and was armed with a handgun. The third man was driving the van.

Redwood City police are working with Palo Alto authorities to determine any similarities with a sexual assault case they are investigating.

A Menlo Park woman said she was visiting several downtown Palo Alto bars the night before and believes she was assaulted in a parked car. She reported the incident at 5:15 a.m. to Menlo Park police.

The suspect was described as a man with short, dark, thick spiky hair who spoke with a Latin accent.

"We spoke with them and compared notes. At this point, there is no significant connection ... ," Hernandez said.

However, the two departments continue to stay in contact, Hernandez said.

Last month, Redwood City police investigated a report of a young woman who was jogging and saw men watching her from a similar white van. Police are re-examining that case, but as of now, do not believe the two are connected.

Anyone who observed any suspicious people or activity in the neighborhood during the time of the assault, or in the recent past, should contact Detective Eric Acha at 780-7100.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.