Cops Chasing Suspects Find Kidnapped Man In Bronx Bodega Basement

THE BRONX, NEW YORK CITY — Cops chasing two suspects found a beaten, kidnapped man in the basement of a Bronx bodega instead, according to police.

NYPD officers chased two suspected pot smokers into a deli on Bussing and Digney avenues about 2 a.m. and asked a 35-year-old worker if they could search the cellar, said police.

Beneath the bodega, they found a 49-year-old man who said he'd been kidnapped and trapped there for three days, police said.

The 49-year-old told cops four people grabbed him about 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 near East 234th Street and White Plains Road, threw him into a dark sedan and drove off, police said.

He was taken to the deli, tied up, beaten, and held against his will, the man told cops.

Medics were summoned but the man declined to be treated, police said.

Police arrested Orinthia Gifford, 49, who lives in the bodega building, and charged her with assault, kidnapping and weapon possession charges, police said.

Cops are now looking for bodega employee Richard Millwood, 35, who stands about 5-foot, 10-inches tall, weighs about 200 pounds and was last seen wearing all dark clothing.

Police did not have descriptions of the other two suspected kidnappers as of Thursday morning.