Crime and Courts

Arrest Made After NYC Mom, Son Escape ‘Horrific' 5-Day Hostage Situation: Feds

Aquilino Torres was arrested Tuesday and is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court Wednesday afternoon

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A Bronx man faces federal charges for allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend and her 7-year-old son, holding them hostage in a Manhattan apartment for days, where he beat them both and raped the mother, the FBI and NYPD said Wednesday.

Aquilino Torres is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan federal court later Wednesday; he was arrested a day earlier on charges of kidnapping and kidnapping a minor, which each carry a sentence of up to life in prison.

The woman and child were abducted in Harlem in early October after Torres told his girlfriend he'd kill her 7-year-old son if she didn't come with him, according to the complaint. He then allegedly brought both mom and son to a Bronx motel, where he beat and raped the mother. The next day, he ordered an Uber to take the woman and her son to an apartment in Washington Heights, officials say.

The two were held there for days, according to the investigation. Torres tied the woman to a bed frame to keep her in the apartment while he was away and assaulted both her and the child, the complaint says. The two escaped after about five days in that Washington Heights apartment, though it wasn't clear how they got out. The mother had a broken jaw that required surgery to repair, officials said.

“The conduct we allege in this case is horrific. Torres allegedly broke a mother’s jaw, tied her hands to a bed frame after physically and sexually assaulting her, and held her and her 7-year-old child against their will for several days," FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney said in a statement. "In spite of all she endured, the victim was able to escape her captor with her son and bring them both to safety.  The resiliency she and her son showed is commendable, and as a result of their heroic actions, Torres will now face justice.  I sincerely hope that provides them some comfort; we will do everything in our power to help them heal."

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