Crime & Safety

Fugitive Wanted in Three-State Rampage Caught Near GWB, Police Say

NY man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman, two vehicle thefts and torching a car dealership Friday morning.

A New York man who kidnapped a woman and torched a family member's car dealership in a span of a few hours was apprehended Friday after crashing a stolen vehicle near the George Washington Bridge, police said.

Luis A. Figueroa, 33, of Bronx, N.Y., was arrested at about noon Friday on the New York side of the GWB when he attempted to run after injuring two Port Authority Police officers when he crashed the stolen SUV on the Jersey side of the bridge, according to NorthJersey.com. 

The bizarre sequence of events began when Figueroa, who has ties to New Jersey, attempted to abduct a woman who was eight months pregnant from her Luzerne County home in Pennsylvania at about 8:30 a.m. Friday, police told NorthJersey.com.

Figueroa instead kidnapped another woman from the same home in Hazleton, Pa., police told NorthJersey.com. Figueroa allegedly sexually assaulted the woman, who was later identified as his girlfriend, in the car before she managed to get away when he stopped in Warren County, according to the report.

Figueroa then allegedly assaulted a national parks service worker at the Kittatinny Point Visitor Center in Hardwick Township and stole his vehicle, according to NJ.com.

He drove to a family member's car dealership in Paterson where he allegedly torched a shed and stole an SUV before being apprehended as tried to head into New York, the report said.


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