NJ Man Kidnapped Woman, Toddler Son At Gunpoint: Officials

PATERSON, NJ — A man accused of abducting a 2-year-old boy and triggering an early-morning Amber Alert also kidnapped the boy's mother, officials in Passaic County said.

New Jersey State Police sent out several alerts around 2 a.m. Friday, saying that the toddler had been abducted and was last seen with a male suspect in a car. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and Paterson Police later said the boy's mother was also kidnapped, after a man carjacked her at gunpoint on Thursday night.

Officials had identified Junior Nunez, 33, of Paterson as the suspect and have now charged him with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree carjacking, as well as child endangerment, weapons offenses, and two counts of simple assault.

The Amber Alert was cancelled around 6 a.m., as both the woman and the child were found in good health.

Authorities said that Paterson Police arrested Nunez just before 7 a.m. and did not disclose where the car was found, though he was reportedly seen coming into New York City.

Paterson Police were called to the area of Piercy Street and Holmsman Street for the reported carjacking and kidnapping at around 10:39 p.m., and learned the 24-year-old woman and 2-year-old boy had been taken at gunpoint. Investigators identified Nunez as the assailant and issued a warrant for his arrest, said a statement from Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson PD Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi.

Officials filed a motion for him to remain in jail ahead of trial, the statement said.

Amber Alerts are issued rarely, and only when time is of the essence in finding a child whose life may be in "grave danger," authorities say. The alerts encourage residents to look for a person or license plate.

Amber stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, and is also named for Amber Hagerman, 9, who was kidnapped in Arlington, Texas, in 1996 while riding her bicycle. She was later found murdered.

While some Amber Alerts end with the child found safely, others have ended tragically. Sometimes, the cases begin after the parent of the child is found dead in a domestic violence incident, including a case in New Jersey in 2021.

Patch's Caren Lissner contributed to this report.