Fourth Man Arrested In Kidnapping Of Fort Lee Resident: Officials

FORT LEE, NJ — Officials charged a fourth suspect in the kidnapping of a Fort Lee resident, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Sellinger said 34-year-old Gabriel Anthony of Queens, N.Y. faces a charge of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Three other men have already been arrested on the same charges, Sellinger said earlier in April.

Sellinger said the victim was taken from his home on April 5 and driven to New York City. Anthony is one of the men accused of putting duct tape over the victim's eyes and mouth, binding his hands, and forcing him into a vehicle.

Fa Deng, 42, of Staten Island and Albert Ferrelli, 50 and Chiahao Lee, 30, both of Queens, are the other defendants in this case.

A neighbor called police at 9:52 p.m. and said they saw two unknown men walking around inside the victim's Catherine Street home, court documents show. The neighbor called police.

Around the same time, one of the victim's friends called police. He said the kidnapped man's wife, who lives in China, got a photograph of her husband from the kidnappers, according to the criminal complaint. The man was bound and duct-taped, and the kidnappers demanded $680,000, documents show.

The friend gave police the phone number of the people who had contacted the victim's wife.

Law enforcement went to the kidnapped man's home and saw "what appeared to be used duct tape on the floor with pieces of what appeared to be latex gloves stuck to it."

In reviewing surveillance footage, officers determined they were looking for a gray minivan with an Oregon license plate. The plate was registered to a different car, according to court documents.
A check of law enforcement databases showed the minivan had crossed the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey around 8:02 p.m. that night, documents show. Officers tracked the vehicle through surveillance footage near the victim's home, documents show.

The minivan can be seen at the victim's residence at 8:33 p.m. and leaves around 8:54 p.m., documents show.

Then, records show the vehicle crossing into New York City by the GWB at 9 p.m., then traveling over the Alexander Hamilton Bridge into the Bronx at 9:04 and crossing the Whitestone Bridge into Queens at 9:10.

New York Police Department officers responded to the report of a man screaming in the area of 33-70 Prince Street at 11:38 p.m. that night, but didn't find anything, records show.

The next day, police went back and saw Ferrelli guarding the door in front of 33-70 Prince Street. They heard a man screaming for help and went inside, where they found the victim, records show.

Ferrelli told police he was watching the door on Deng's orders, court papers show. While he was talking to officers, Deng approached the building and began running; the officers caught him, records show.

Rental records show that Lee's wife had rented the suspect vehicle, a gray Chrysler Pacifica, from LaGuardia Airport on April 4, court papers show. Lee "voluntarily admitted" he was involved in the kidnapping, reports show, and said Deng made the calls asking the victim's wife for money. He identified the phone number as Deng's.

Security footage from outside the entrance of the building shows a man believed to be the victim trying to run away on Tuesday night around 10:33 p.m, court papers show.

"A male appearing to be FERRELLI, who had been positioned at the top of the stairs on the sidewalk, tackled VICTIM 1. A physical struggle ensued. FERRELLI can be seen attempting to choke VICTIM 1 in the struggle. FERRELLI then grabbed VICTIM 1 and pulled him back into" the building, the criminal complaint said.

The victim told police masked men came into his home, and at least one of the men had a gun.

The maximum penalty for conspiring to commit kidnapping is life in prison, Sellinger said earlier this month.