New Jersey Criminal Defense Blog

A woman was arrested in Nevada on suspicion of kidnapping her 6 year-old daughter over 25 years ago in New Jersey, according to CNN.com.

The woman was attending a custody hearing regarding her 6-year-old daughter in 1984 in Somerville, New Jersey. The girl’s father had temporary custody of his daughter. The woman fled the courthouse with her daughter at the hearing. A warrant was issued for her arrest in 1985.

This month, the daughter, now 32, tried to change her name in order to obtain a marriage license in Nevada. A background check was done and it was determined that a child with that name was missing from New Jersey. The police questioned the mother, and she admitted her true identity. The daughter allegedly did not know she had been kidnapped or that a warrant was out for her mother’s arrest.

The mother is being held in Nevada and is awaiting extradition to New Jersey. The girl’s mother claims that she fled with her daughter in order to escape her ex-husband’s violence, who denies such claims. The mother and daughter moved frequently over the years. Authorities nearly captured them several times, once missing them by only minutes in California.

Although many people view kidnapping by a non-custodial parent as a much less serious crime than abduction by a stranger, child abduction charges are very serious, and the woman in this case could end up facing prison time. If you have been charged with a serious New Jersey crime, contact the experienced Princeton criminal defense attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein at 609-240-0040 today.

According to an article in the Jersey Journal, a 36-year old man from Union City is accused of committing home invasion by impersonating a police officer. Allegedly, the suspect blindfolded and handcuffed the occupant who lived on Caroline Avenue in Linden, New Jersey.

Police say that the suspect robbed the Caroline Avenue resident of a handgun. When the suspect was apprehended, the police found what they believed may have been cocaine in the suspect’s vehicle in addition to a fake New Jersey Police Officer’s badge, $6,000 cash, a handgun, and handcuffs.

The police also claim that the suspect had allegedly transported the remains of two people who had been murdered in Union City. The police say that the remains of the two victims had been discovered on Linden Street. Security cameras captured images of a car located near the crime scene and the image of a man.

Responding police officers believe that the suspect was the man driving the same car that appeared in the security camera video. Currently, the suspect is charged with drug possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, robbery, kidnapping, and weapons offenses.

Continue reading "Linden Home Invasion Suspect Accused" »

According to an article in The Times of Trenton, police are searching for a 23-year old female suspect accused of leading two men to an attack by robbers on two different occasions. In the first incident, the female suspect convinced a 53-year old male to drive her home to Rowan Towers and accompany her inside her apartment.

Allegedly, when the man went upstairs to the woman’s apartment, robbers bound the man’s hands, feet, and mouth with duct-tape, after forcing him to the floor at gunpoint. Police say the man was held hostage for four hours during an ordeal where the robbers burned his arm with a cigarette and his left leg with a curling iron as they demanded more money.

Before releasing the man, the robbers allegedly stole $266, his wallet, keys, and his car. The man did not report the crime until the Tuesday afternoon following the robbery and kidnapping in New Jersey.

The suspects who actually committed the robbery and kidnapping of the man are described as three African-Americans, one female and two males all aged in their 20s. Police said the male suspects brandished the handguns during the robbery.

In the second incident, the female suspect allegedly convinced a 38-year old man to allow her into his home. Supposedly, she excused herself to the bathroom and opened the front door of his home to allow the robbers inside his house.

The robbers again bound the second man’s hands, feet, and mouth with duct-tape. They stole his wallet and debit card along with his pin number. The victim suffered facial fractures and a fractured heel, after removing the duct tape with scissors and jumping from his second floor window for help. The police say the male suspects stole the 1997 Ford Expedition belonging to the victim’s cousin.

Continue reading "Trenton Robbery Traps - Female Suspect Accused of Luring Men" »