Surveillance video, court records and witness accounts provide new details about the confrontation and the suspect’s arrest.
BUCKEYE, AZ — New details from court records and surveillance video are providing a clearer account of an alleged attack inside a Buckeye home, where a mother said she fought off an intruder while her two young children were present.
Police arrested 20-year-old Adrian Ayala in Goodyear the day after the Friday evening incident near Southern Avenue and Miller Road. Authorities booked him on suspicion of offenses including sexual assault, kidnapping and burglary. Court proceedings are pending, and the allegations against Ayala have not been proven.
The woman, identified in local reporting as Bella Torres, said she had been preparing to take her children to a Halloween-related event when her partner left briefly for a nearby store. She said an alert from her home security system sounded at the front door, and she initially believed her partner had returned.
According to an arrest report cited by KTAR, Torres instead saw an unfamiliar man outside the home. Investigators said the man asked to use the bathroom. Torres tried to close the door, but police allege Ayala forced his way inside and attacked her. Torres told investigators she fought back as the confrontation moved through the home and eventually outside.
Torres’ two young children were inside during the incident. Police allege Ayala struck her 17-month-old child during the attack. The available reports did not describe any serious injury to the child. A neighbor who heard Torres screaming contacted police, according to the arrest report.
Surveillance footage from the property recorded portions of the confrontation. Police said Ayala could be heard claiming that he had communicated online with Torres’ partner and had been led to believe the encounter was arranged. Torres disputed that account, and video described by local news reports shows her repeatedly questioning the man about who he was and why he was there.
Torres also told Arizona’s Family that neither she nor her partner knew Ayala. A neighbor who called 911 said the same man appeared on other neighborhood cameras before the confrontation, walking around the area. Police have not publicly established why Ayala went to the home, and the competing accounts remain part of the investigation.
Investigators received another lead after video of the incident was posted online. According to the arrest report, a social media user identified Ayala, while his father separately contacted Goodyear police after seeing footage and recognizing his son. The father told authorities that Ayala had offered an explanation involving a supposed online video reenactment, the report said.
Police later arrested Ayala at his Goodyear home. According to KTAR, he requested an attorney and did not answer investigators’ questions after his arrest. Detectives were seeking search warrants involving his vehicle, residence, DNA and other potential evidence. Investigators also seized Torres’ partner’s cellphone because of Ayala’s claim that the partner had been involved in arranging the encounter. No evidence publicly reported so far has established that claim.
Ayala was released Sunday on a $25,000 surety bond, according to court information cited by KTAR. He is scheduled for a status conference Friday and a preliminary hearing Oct. 27. The investigation remains open as authorities review physical evidence, surveillance footage and the accounts given to police.
Author note: Last updated October 20, 2026.