Woman Kidnapped From CCM Parking Lot Handcuffed To Car Door During Wild Cross

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A woman was found handcuffed to a grab handle inside a vehicle after police say a man kidnapped her from a New Jersey college parking lot and then led a police pursuit across county lines last week.

Akram Elsayed, 28, of Roselle, was apprehended following a pursuit involving multiple law enforcement agencies at about 9:40 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.

Earlier that day, at about 2:30 p.m., the woman's parents contacted the Bayonne Police Department after becoming concerned for her safety when she failed to pick up her children from school and could not be reached, the prosecutor said alongside multiple law enforcement officials.

A subsequent investigation traced the victim to the County College of Morris in Randolph, where Randolph police officers located her vehicle in a parking lot along with her damaged phone, according to the release. Surveillance footage showed the victim walking to her vehicle and being approached by Elsayed, authorities said. Additional surveillance showed Elsayed’s vehicle leaving the CCM parking lot while the victim’s vehicle remained unoccupied, authorities said.

Police received a tip about Elsayed's possible whereabouts in Andover Township and were able to track down the vehicle. Elsayed was taken into custody following a police pursuit involving officers from Newton, Andover, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, the Sussex County Sheriff's Office, and New Jersey State Police.

The victim was in the front passenger seat, handcuffed to the grab handle, and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation, Carroll said. A Black Highpoint Model #C9 handgun was observed on the ground near the open driver’s side door of the vehicle, authorities said.

As of Friday, Dec. 12, Elsayed has been charged with multiple offenses, including first-degree carjacking and first-degree kidnapping, along with counts of burglary, weapons offenses, aggravated assault, criminal restraint, terroristic threats, attempted aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, aggravated sexual assault, eluding, endangering another person, tampering with physical evidence, obstructing administration of law, prohibited weapons and devices, and contempt, authorities said.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200, authorities said.