Three men from Brownsville, Brooklyn are now facing charges from New Jersey federal court after they allegedly abducted, tortured and held a teenager for ransom, as reported by the Associated Press. New York Daily News.
Kidnapping suspects and their allegations
According to the source, the kidnapping suspects include 27-year-old Aleman Fernandez, 37-year-old Dennis Reyes Mora and 26-year-old Alexander Cruz. The men are being held without bail and attended a brief hearing in Newark Federal Court on Tuesday.
Each suspect faces one count of conspiracy to kidnap. If convicted, each man could face life in prison.
All three men are believed to be residents of Brownsville, Brooklyn.
The motive behind the alleged kidnapping
However, the identity of the kidnapped victim has not been revealed yet. ABC7New York detailed that he is 18 years old.
Based on New York Daily NewsThe teenager invited the men to his Hackensack, New Jersey home around 11 p.m. on March 17. He is said to have intended to buy drugs from the men.
After the group made a deal, the victim led the men to a parking lot in Newark, Delaware. According to the outlet, this is where “money is exchanged.” However, the deal “failed”.
The suspects then grabbed the man and threatened to stab him. From there, they tied his hands with duct tape and threw him in the back seat of a car. As they did this, the suspects are said to have stabbed the man in the leg.
Events Reported After Teen Kidnapping
The suspects then took the victim to a basement on Rockaway Avenue in Queens, New York. According to the source, the suspects tied him to a chair and beat and stabbed him. In addition, they “put a knife to his neck” and “a rag soaked in gasoline in his eyes”.
Furthermore, the kidnappers tortured the victim by burning him with cigarettes and threatening him with a gun.
According to US Attorney for New Jersey Philip Seller, the victim recounted that one of the suspects, Aleman Fernandez, laughed every time he was tortured.
In the end, the suspects kept the victim in the Queens basement for four days.
Teenager released and suspect arrested
Based on New York Daily News, the suspects contacted the victim’s parents and initially demanded $45,000 in ransom for the teen. The suspects then increased the number to $60,000.
The family of the teenager, who was secretly working with law enforcement, offered the suspects $20,000.
On March 21, the suspects ordered the victim’s mother to deliver the money near Jamaica Avenue and Warwick Street in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, at 11pm on March 21.
The teenager was later released on Jackie Robinson Parkway.
Furthermore, the police agency was able to track the location of the suspect through data from the victim’s phone. Investigators also tracked down a “dark SUV” that was used to receive the ransom.
Eventually, investigators traced the suspects to Rockaway Ave., where they also found the ransom. As well as the blood of the victim.
