A Menlo College student is facing criminal charges after prosecutors say he raped a 12-year-old girl in his campus dorm room.
San Mateo County prosecutors allege that 19-year-old Andres Manuel Aguilar enticed the child to his dorm after meeting her at a transit stop in Menlo Park.
Authorities said Aguilar gave the girl his phone number during that first encounter and later convinced her to meet up with him on May 5. Investigators said the victim allegedly claimed she was 17, but Aguilar told law enforcement he knew she was still a minor.
According to prosecutors, the girl left her home after dark without permission to meet Aguilar.
The two allegedly stopped at a Safeway in Redwood City to purchase rum and beer before going to the Menlo College campus in Atherton. KRON4 reported that surveillance video from the dorm showed them entering Aguilar’s residence hall room.
Once inside, prosecutors allege Aguilar gave the child alcohol and had her vape cannabis.
The victim’s mother, who spoke anonymously to safeguard her daughter’s identity, described the night as devastating.
“She waited until everybody was asleep and snuck out of the house,” the mother told KRON4. “They ended up going to the college, where she as raped.”
The suspect is accused of stripping off the victim’s pants while she repeatedly protested, authorities said. Out of a sudden fear of a potential pregnancy, Aguilar allegedly used DoorDash to order emergency Plan B contraception to the room, according to court documents.
Aguilar, of San Jose, is currently being held without bail on multiple felonies, including aggravated sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a minor involving oral copulation, and providing marijuana to a minor under 14.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe emphasized that the victim’s age changes the legal severity of the prosecution.
“If a child is 13 and under, society treats that much more seriously,” Wagstaffe said in a statement. “The penalties are much higher. There is never any argument that a child could have consented in any fashion to it, and it really becomes serious when you deal with a 12-year-old child.”
Aguilar faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
Though initially set for a mid-summer court appearance, Aguilar’s hearing was pushed back to August 27. The delay allows police and prosecutors additional time to pursue leads regarding a potential second victim.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the Atherton Police Department.
“If you know this man, if you’ve had any negative interactions of him, or if you are a victim of rape by him,” the mother said, “come forward.”
The incident has stunned the community at Menlo College, an exclusive, private business institution known for its tight-knit undergraduate student body of roughly 810 to 880 students.
The campus is highly regarded globally, with the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) placing it in the top 8.3% of universities worldwide and ranking it No. 62 globally for graduate employability. It also boasts an AACSB business accreditation held by fewer than 5% of schools worldwide.
University administrators have declined to release specific details about the suspect’s enrollment status, citing privacy protocols.
“We take all allegations of criminal conduct and misconduct involving our community with the utmost seriousness,” a Menlo College spokesperson said in a statement provided to KRON4. “In accordance with federal and state privacy laws, we are unable to confirm identities or provide details regarding ongoing investigations.”
The case follows a recent investigation at UC Santa Barbara of an alleged rape that triggered massive pushback from student advocacy groups.
Similarly, UCLA recently dealt with security alarms after a man with no university affiliation was arrested for a series of separate physical assaults against multiple women, including students, across university grounds.
