College Student from Aurora Rescued by SWAT in New York

A college student from Aurora and another from Northbrook were held hostage by a drug dealer and rescued by a New York SWAT team on Sunday night.

Both are students and football players at the University of Rochester in New York, and they were last seen around 2 a.m. near the university, according to a report on 13WHAM.com. They were reported missing at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

After determining the men were ”forcibly abducted” and being held at a home 4 miles from campus, the SWAT rescue began at about 8:20 p.m. Central time Sunday night, Rochester Police Chief William Ciminelli told reporters at a news conference Sunday night. One of the students was shot prior to the rescue, the chief said.

Nicholas Kollias, of Northbrook, and Ani Okeke Ewo, of Aurora, are both recovering in a Rochester hospital. It was not clear late Sunday which student was shot.

Four people were taken into custody, reports the Democrat and Chronicle.

“Tonight the University of Rochester Student Community and our entire city can be grateful for the professionalism and dedication of the Rochester police Department and particularly our SWAT Team,” said Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren in a statement. “As our city’s Mayor and also as a mother I am grateful that our police officers helped make the ultimate outcome of tonight’s situation a good one. Many thanks to Chief Ciminelli and his officers for a job well done.”

Early Sunday, police considered the two men missing persons and began a search for them.