New Jersey

Kidnapped 15-Year-Old NJ Girl Found With Previously Deported Man in Ohio: Police

What to Know

  • A 15-year-old NJ girl who had been kidnapped was found with a man in Ohio, authorities say
  • Few details on the victim were immediately released; it wasn't clear when she was taken and her name wasn't known
  • Troopers say they arrested Juan Carlos Morales-Pedraza after a traffic stop near Toledo; the 33-year-old had previously been deported

A kidnapped 15-year-old girl from New Jersey has been rescued in Ohio, where authorities say they found her with a man living in the country illegally. 

Few details on the victim were immediately released; it wasn't clear when she was taken and her name wasn't known. Authorities say she was sexually assaulted.

The State Highway Patrol says the girl was found traveling with the man Tuesday on the Ohio Turnpike; they were headed to Chicago. She was listed in police databases as missing from Paterson. 

Troopers say they arrested Juan Carlos Morales-Pedraza after a traffic stop near Toledo. A state patrol official says the 33-year-old man was living in the country illegally and had been previously deported. 

Morales-Pedraza was being held pending a court appearance Thursday. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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