Authorities in New Jersey stated on Friday that a man is being accused of detaining a woman against her will for a whole year. That’s until the lady managed to flee and seek assistance at a gas station this month.
According to the office of the state’s attorney general, the lady went looking for assistance on February 7 at a gas station in Burlington County. She informed the people there that she had been abducted for a year.
Today, we announced the arrest of a man accused of holding a woman hostage for nearly a year on a cross-country trip from New Mexico to New Jersey.
James W. Parrillo Jr. is charged with kidnapping, strangulation, aggravated assault and criminal restraint. https://t.co/tYR79y7RTk— Attorney General Matt Platkin (@NewJerseyOAG) February 17, 2023
Charges and Escape
According to the authorities, James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, is being kept in custody pending trial. He’s held on charges of second-degree strangulation and aggravated assault, first-degree kidnapping, as well as third-degree criminal restraint.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued a statement describing this case as “deeply disturbing.”
According to the allegations in the case, the defendant purportedly held a woman against her will for almost a year, all the while trying to travel with her across the country. That’s until they finally arrived in New Jersey, where the woman was able to get away from him.
The lady, who has not been identified, can be seen on security video acquired by NBC Philly sprinting into the business and closing the door as a guy closely follows her.
Jamie Garthaus, an employee at the gas station, reported to the authorities that a woman had come racing into the store barefoot and accused the man of kidnapping her. They responded by running inside and locking the door behind them.
On the same day, Parrillo was taken into custody. It was impossible to get in touch with an attorney who represents Parrillo right away on Friday night for a remark.
James W. Parrillo Jr., also known as Brett Parker, may have preyed on people in other states, said officials. https://t.co/RFWjV4Pbqi
— Moorestown NJ Patch (@MoorestownPatch) February 17, 2023
Initially in a Relationship
According to the attorney general’s office, the woman told the police the two of them had initially been in a relationship. That’s after meeting at a gas station in New Mexico in February 2022 when Parrillo asked her to follow him on a trip to Arizona.
According to the New Jersey attorney general’s office and the state police, Parrillo abused her a month later, while they were in California. She felt like she couldn’t get away from him after that.
Per the authorities, Parrillo seized the woman’s phone, as well as her credit and debit cards, preventing her from communicating with her relatives. He ultimately detained her against her will in New Jersey. They entered the state in the month of December.
According to the authorities, the lady previously visited the gas station. At that time, she had seen the lock and intended to go back whenever she had the opportunity.
She escaped the Bass River Township house where they resided on February 7 after being choked and abused, according to the attorney general’s office and state police.
The woman had marks on her neck, according to a probable cause document from the New Jersey State Police submitted in court.
This article appeared in The Political Globe and has been published here with permission.
