Monmouth County Man Sentenced For Luring Girl, 11, Into His Car, Told Her To Disrobe

ASBURY PARK, NJ — An Asbury Park man was sentenced Friday to 20 years in state prison for luring and kidnapping a then-11-year-old girl off the street in 2023, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced Wednesday.

The man is Raquan M. Folk, 31. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, the girl was walking on Ridge Avenue in Asbury Park when a man later identified as Folk pulled up to her in a car.

He convinced her to get inside.

Folk then drove her to Neptune Township, stopped the vehicle and told the girl to disrobe, prompting her to ask to use a bathroom. The victim ran from the car, flagged down a passerby and was taken to the Neptune Township Police Department.

Folk was taken into custody without incident days later and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, where he has remained incarcerated until his trial began in January.

The girl, then 12, testified as his trial, which lasted eight days. Folk was found guilty by a jury of first-degree Kidnapping, second-degree Luring a Child, and third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Folk must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before he is available for parole.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Santiago said he thinks justice was served.

“This case represented every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Santiago. “Earning justice for the victim and the Asbury Park community at large was an imperative, and we hope this sentence sends an unequivocal message regarding the degree to which this sort of conduct cannot be tolerated.”

This investigation was led by Detective Kayla Santiago of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau and Detective Scott Ritter of the Asbury Park Police Department. This case was prosecuted by MCPO Assistant Prosecutor Keri-Leigh Schaefer. Folk was represented by Paul Zager, Esq., with an office in Red Bank.