Arrest Made in Rape of Jogger on Silver Spring Trail

A Hyattsville man has been charged with raping a woman at knifepoint while she was jogging along the Northwest Branch Trail on May 5 in Silver Spring.

Police were called May 5 to the site of an attack that had occurred in park land adjacent to Oakview Drive in Silver Spring. The victim, a woman in her 20s, said she had been running on a trail in the Northwest Branch area when she was approached by the suspect, who was armed with a knife. The suspect forced her off the trail, raped her, and fled. 

Following the attack, investigators from the Montgomery County Police Department and the Maryland-National Capital Park Police Department worked together to search for the suspect.

On Friday, park police detectives went back to the scene to look for additional evidence. While in an area off the marked trail, they saw a backpack that matched the description the victim said the suspect had with him during the crime.

As officers approached the site, they reportedly saw a man who matched the suspect description. Police said he was also wearing a beaded necklace that matched the description the victim had given.

Joaquin A. Orellana Torres, 24, of Hughes Road in Hyattsville, was charged Friday with first-degree rape and one count of armed robbery. 

“The arrest of Joaquin Orellana Torres helps to maintain the safe environment for everyone who uses the Montgomery County Park system,” said Chief Antonio DeVaul of the Maryland National Capital Park Police. “This case was closed quickly due to great work and coordination by detectives from the Montgomery County Police and the Maryland-National Capital Park Police.”