Disabled Man Dies After Being Tied Up By Caregivers: Bergen Officials

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — An elderly disabled man died after he was tied to a cart and gagged with a sock by two caregivers who abandoned his body on the side of a River Edge road, according to prosecutors and court records.

Tyrone Closs, 32, and Aniesa Samad, 24, were arrested Thursday on aggravated manslaughter charges linked to the disturbing death of Michael Kestenbaum, 62, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.

The pair told investigators Kestenbaum, who lived with Closs and Samad in Hackensack, had fallen down in their apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

Closs and Samad then tied up Kestenbaum with a cord and a belt and left him to die, the complaint alleges.

Kestenbaum's body was found abandoned on the side of Ackerson Street early in the morning on Dec. 8, according to the warrant and complaint.

Closs and Samad were arrested weeks later on charges that also include desecration of human remains, elder abuse, criminal restraint, and obstruction, Musella said.

The pair were remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending an initial court appearance, Musella said Friday.