In a disquieting incident at a San Mateo laundromat, Ignacio Rosendo Martinez, a 51-year-old transient, has been arrested following an attempted sexual assault on a 10-year-old girl. According to the CBS San Francisco report, the horrifying event unfolded as two sisters visited the Mas Wash and Dry Laundromat on N. Ellsworth Avenue to get change from the coin machine. Martinez, who is listed as a high-risk sex offender on the California Department of Justice/Megan's Law website, launched an attack on the younger sibling by force, an act that was documented on the facility's security footage.
The San Mateo Police Department detailed that while the 10-year-old was inside, Martinez approached her, executed a bear hug, and proceeded to thrust his body against hers. The child managed to break free and alert her sister. "The suspect then tried to drag the girl into a back room but she was able to escape his tight grip and ran crying to her sister outside," according to police, as per CBS San Francisco. The assailant fled but was apprehended shortly afterward in a nearby apartment complex, following a trespassing report. He was found in the boiler room and was positively identified as the sex offender in the video footage.
Martinez faces a multitude of charges, including attempted rape, assault to commit rape, attempted kidnapping, lewd acts by force, willful cruelty to a child, and failing to register as a sex offender, among other accusations. San Mateo County District Attorney's social media post reveals that Martinez previously pled no contest to a lewd act on a child by force and failing to register as a sex offender. A post by the San Mateo County District Attorney details a November 2020 incident where Martinez "lowered his pants & thrust his body against a 10 yr old child," which he denied despite video evidence. His sentencing is scheduled for August 19.
Ignacio Rosendo Martinez (51) pled no contest for lewd act on a child by force & failing to register as a sex offender. In Nov '20, he lowered his pants & thrust his body against a 10 yr old child, a crime he later denied despite it being captured on video. Sentencing Aug 19. pic.twitter.com/zKItCINj9x
— San Mateo County District Attorney (@SanMateoCoDA) July 23, 2025
