SAN JOSE, Calif. (WHDH) — Four young adults and one juvenile are accused of creating fraudulent Tinder accounts to rob and carjack unsuspecting dates throughout San Jose, California.
An investigation revealed that the five suspects — 19-year-old Bryan Gonzalez, 18-year-old Jonathan Jimenez, 18-year-old Lesly Portillo, 19-year-old Yadira Villarreal, and a 15-year-old boy — created the fake dating accounts posing as a woman, with the profile names “Becky” or “Victoria,” to communicate with male victims between March 16 and 29, police said.
The suspects would then set a date and location to meet the victims, usually in the late evening on secluded streets near a park, where the victims would allegedly be beaten, robbed and carjacked by gunpoint.
The suspects, who were arrested on different dates and times, face multiple charges, including robbery, carjacking, auto theft, and hit-and-run.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Amanda Estantino of the San Jose Police Department’s Robbery Unit at 408-277-4166.
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