NEW YORK – A man from the Bronx is facing federal charges for allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend and her 7-year-old son and holding them hostage in a Manhattan apartment for days where he violently beat them. The defendant also allegedly raped the mother, the FBI and the New York City Police (NYPD) said on Wednesday.
Aquilino Torres is expected to be arraigned in federal court in Manhattan Wednesday afternoon. The defendant was arrested Tuesday on charges of kidnapping and kidnapping a minor, which carry a sentence of up to life in prison.
According to the complaint, the woman and her son were kidnapped in Harlem in early October after Torres allegedly told his girlfriend that he would kill her 7-year-old son if she did not come with him. He then allegedly took the mother and son to a Bronx motel, where he beat and raped the mother. The next day, he allegedly ordered an Uber to take the woman and her son to an apartment in Washington Heights, authorities say.
The two remained there for days, according to the investigation. Torres would have tied the woman to the frame of a bed to keep her in the apartment while he was away and would have assaulted them, the complaint says. The two managed to escape after about five days locked in that Washington Heights apartment, although it was not clear how they got out. The mother had a broken jaw that required surgery to repair it, authorities said.
“The conduct we allege in this case is appalling. Torres allegedly broke a mother’s jaw, tied her hands to the bed frame after physically and sexually assaulting her, and held her and her 7-year-old son against their will for several days, “said the deputy director of the FBI William Sweeney in a statement. “Despite all that she endured, the victim was able to escape her captor with her son and take them both to safety. The resilience she and her son demonstrated is commendable, and as a result of her heroic actions, Torres will now face justice. I sincerely hope that it provides you some comfort; we will do everything in our power to help them heal. “
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