Three Bronx men were arrested in Bayonne yesterday for kidnaping and stabbing a man, fleeing and crashing their car as they attempted to elude capture, police said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Angel Aristy, 23, Pedro Castillo, 19, and Rachel Vargas, 19, all of Bronx, New York, were each charged with kidnapping, obstructing a governmental function, eluding, conspiracy, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to Police Capt. Eric Amato.
Additionally, Aristy was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon and terroristic threats to kill.
Aristy, Castillo, and Vargas were taken into custody at about 9:44 a.m. yesterday from the areas of 8th and 10th Streets.
An officer on patrol in the area of 21st Street and Avenue A observed a black Audi parked just east of Avenue A on West 21st Street and a man attempting to drag another man, the 30-year-old victim, toward the rear passenger side of the vehicle.
Believing he had just observed an attempted abduction, the officer headed back to the area and was flagged down by the victim who directed him to the Audi.
As the officer neared the Audi with his vehicle, the Audi sped off at a high rate of speed toward John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
As the officer attempted to stop the vehicle for investigation and the reckless driving he had just observed, the operator of the Audi refused to comply, resulting in the initiation of a motor vehicle pursuit.
The Audi continued to flee, disregarding numerous traffic signals and ultimately striking a pick-up truck in the area of 11th Street and JFK Boulevard.
The Audi continued south on JFK Boulevard where it crashed into a parked/unoccupied Lexus and a traffic signal box on the corner of West 10th Street and JFK Boulevard.
The officer then observed three males, later identified as the above-listed arrestees, exit the vehicle and flee on West 10th Street toward Avenue A. Numerous back-up officers
flooded the area an initiated an extensive search for the three men.
The search resulted in the apprehension of all three men from various nearby areas.
As the pursuing officer continued his investigation at the crash scene, he observed an opened folding knife lying on the rear passenger seat as well as a ski mask resting on the driver seat.
The officer was also able to locate another small knife on the street under the Lexus that had been struck by the suspect vehicle.
As officers continued to search the area for additional evidence, a black hooded sweatshirt worn by one of the actors, a ski mask, and another hooded sweatshirt belonging to one of the actors were recovered from the area.
At this time, the victim had the left the area but soon responded to police headquarters.
While at headquarters, the victim reported that as he was walking in the area of 21st Street, a man approached him and threatened to shoot him if he refused to walk with him and get in the car.
No gun was shown or observed but the victim reported that the actor, later identified as Aristy, stated he was in possession of a gun.
As the two proceeded to walk to the waiting parked Audi with the rear passenger door opened, a struggle ensued as the victim attempted to break free so as to not be forced into the vehicle.
During the struggle, the victim felt, what he believed to be, a punch to his stomach but later realized that he had been stabbed by Aristy.
It was at this point that the victim observed the police vehicle making a u-turn to investigate what, as stated earlier, the officer believed was an attempted abduction.
The victim then responded to an area hospital to be treated before responding to headquarters.
The operator of the black Audi could not be determined, as such, all three occupants were charged with the numerous motor vehicle violations observed during the pursuit.
The extensive investigation led to all three men being positively identified as the actors. The motive for the incident is unknown at this time and no firearm was recovered, authorities said.
“The Bayonne Police Department would like to recognize, in a laudatory sense, the actions of Officer Christopher Styles and all Patrol Officers, Detective Bureau personnel, and Bayonne Police Telecommnicators that assisted in bringing this unfortunate and dynamic incident to a positive resolution,” the Bayonne PD said in a lengthy statement.
“Officer Styles’ sense of situational awareness and decisive actions initiated a synergistic response which led to a combined effort of officers and detectives to swiftly apprehend the actors. Because of their actions and dedication to service and community, 3 dangerous actors have been removed from our community and will no longer be able to threaten the safety of any person.”
They also wished the victim a speedy recovery after enduring such a traumatic experience.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with new information.
