EDISON — Several days after a 29-year-old patient at JFK Medical Center went missing, police charged the man with carjacking, aggravated assault and making terroristic threats after he allegedly pummeled a hospital attendant and forced a woman to drive him to New York, according to the Edison Police Department.
Akeem K. Benson of the Bronx, New York, was reported missing from the medical center during the early morning hours of May 25. New York police officers found Benson at his mother’s residence later that morning, police said.
Police said an investigation determined Benson allegedly assaulted a female hospital employee who was monitoring his erratic behavior. Benson allegedly tossed a lukewarm cup of tea at the attendant, threw her to the floor in his room, and punched her before he left the building wearing only green hospital scrubs and white socks, according to officials.
Once he was outside at about 5:45 a.m., Benson allegedly forced a woman who was leaving the hospital to drive him to his mother’s residence in the Bronx, police said.
Police said the woman managed to escape from her vehicle after they reached New York. Benson allegedly told the woman to stop her car in an industrial neighborhood so he could relieve himself. The woman told police she drove away after Benson got out of her vehicle and walked behind it, according to police.
Following his arrest, Benson was transported to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. On May 29, police announced Benson was under arrest for criminal charges stemming from the incident.