A man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to lure juveniles ages 12 and 14 into his van on New Year’s Eve in Redwood City, and police are trying to find out if he might be connected to other incidents.
At about 1 p.m., Ignace Rothschild, who is required to register as sex offender due to a previous conviction, was driving a 2012 silver Toyota Sienna with tinted windows he allegedly pulled over and tried to talk to the juveniles as they were fixing their bicycles, according to police. The location of the incident was not disclosed in a police statement.
The man in the vehicle asked the juveniles “if they needed a ride and also mentioned he had no plans for New Years Eve,” police said. When one of the juveniles’ mothers arrived, the man fled, police said.
The mother called police, who would locate the Toyota Sienna in a nearby condo complex. Rothschild was found in one of the condos and taken into custody without incident, police said.
Officers determined Rothschild had also failed to register as a sex offender as required by law.
“A search warrant was authored and evidence was collected from the suspect vehicle and residence. The suspect was arrested and booked into jail and the investigation is ongoing,” police said.
Police are asking the public if they have additional information related to Rothschild, described as a clean-shaven, 60-year-old white man, 6’4” tall and weighing about 280 pounds.
Anyone with additional information “related to the suspect, this incident, or incidents of a similar nature” is encouraged to contact Det. Kimber at the Redwood City Police Department at 650-780-7138 or the Redwood City Police Department’s Tip Line at 650-780-7107.
