Pennsylvania man convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old he took on a jet ski to a river island, where she was in and out of consciousness

Salvador Villa-Del Toro, a 28-year-old man from Pennsylvania, was found guilty of allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl on an island in the Susquehanna River. The trial concluded after a jury deliberated for about an hour and returned guilty verdicts on all counts. The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced the verdict this week, according to ABC.

The events leading to this conviction began in July 2024. The victim was with friends near the shoreline in Martic Township, where she had been drinking. Villa-Del Toro arrived on a jet ski and offered to take the teenager for a ride. He took her to an unidentified island on the river, where he eventually committed the assault.

The victim testified that she was in and out of consciousness during the encounter, which left her unable to provide any form of consent. The return trip from the island happened about an hour later. Her friends noticed immediately that she was in a state where she could barely stand or walk. As they were worried she might have been drugged, they contacted the police to report a potential overdose.

Her friends knew something was wrong the moment she got back

Responding troopers could not communicate with the victim due to her physical condition, so they transported her to a local hospital. Medical staff collected a vaginal swab during her examination, and prosecutors later confirmed that this sample matched the DNA of Villa-Del Toro. Troopers had also linked Villa-Del Toro to the jet ski, as its registration and a phone video recorded that day pointed to him. After his arrest, bail was set at $1 million.

His defense shifted throughout the investigation. Villa-Del Toro first claimed that he did not have any sexual contact with the girl. However, he later changed his story and admitted to a sexual encounter. He insisted that the interaction was consensual and claimed it occurred after he dropped her off near a swimming hole. Prosecutors emphasized that Villa-Del Toro was fully aware of the girl’s intoxicated state at the time of the incident.

Charging documents supported that account, as the victim had told troopers she felt “wasted” before the jet ski ride. Those documents also stated that she fell and hit her head on a rock while on the island. The legal proceedings lasted five days and included testimony about the events on the river. The jury convicted Villa-Del Toro of rape of an unconscious victim, sexual assault, two counts of indecent assault and two counts of aggravated assault.

The remaining counts were corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor and failure to register an automobile. Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick prosecuted the case, which took more than two years to reach a jury. Judge Todd Brown presided over the trial and will determine Villa-Del Toro’s sentence later. The district attorney’s office has not yet announced when that hearing will take place.