A man and a woman from East Rutherford have been arrested in the alleged kidnapping and robbery of a 71-year-old woman from New Hampshire who became lost while traveling home from New Jersey after the holidays, prosecutors said.
The victim pulled into an office building parking lot along Route 10 on Dec. 29 after visiting her family in Mt. Laurel, according to authorities. She was trying to get directions to the highway when she was approached by 41-year-old Joseph Defreitas and 52-year-old Marilyn Nadeau, prosecutors said.
Defreitas took out a handgun and forced the victim into his car while Nadeau took the victim's car and followed her accomplice to an ATM machine in Parsippany, prosecutors said. Defreitas demanded the victim's PIN number, and used it to withdraw cash from her bank account.
The accused kidnappers then drove to an industrial parking lot on Woodhollow Road and forced the victim into the trunk of her own car, prosecutors said.
The victim was able to free herself from the trunk and call for help, according to prosecutors. In the meantime, Defreitas and Nadeau used the victim's stolen credit cards at several stores in North Jersey and New York.
Defreitas and Nadeau were arrested in East Rutherford on Thursday, Jan. 17. Both were charged with kidnapping, robbery, carjacking, conspiracy and credit card theft. Defreitas was also charged with possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Bail has been set for Nadeau at $300,000 and Defreitas at $500,000. Both remain at Morris County Correctional Facility. Attorney information was not immediately available.
