Tuckerton Man Charged With Kidnapping After Assault On Lacey Man

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - When Lacey police responded to a Caldwell Avenue home on June 12 after a man reported being kidnapped, the victim was not there, Police Chief Michael C. DiBella said.

But he showed up at the police department shortly after and told police he had been assaulted and kidnapped in Seaside Heights. The man had extensive injuries, including broken bones in his face and leg. He told police he was assaulted while he waited in a car for a female companion, the chief said.

"The suspect reportedly entered the vehicle striking the victim numerous times and then forcing him into his (suspect) vehicle," DiBella said. "The victim was continually assaulted as the suspect drove him to Forked River, where he eventually escaped from the car."

Police have not released the name of the victim.

After a lengthy investigation, officers from the Ocean County Sheriff's Department and U.S. Marshals Office located Kevin Johnson, 52, East Main Street, Tuckerton, at a Toms River home on July 27. Johnson was arrested and charged with kidnapping, burglary and aggravated assault, the chief said.

Johnson was taken to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, he said.

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