SOUTH BRUNSWICK – After tips from around the country, South Brunswick police – with the assistance of county, state and federal law enforcement – have tracked down the woman and man involved in the “possible abduction” incident.
While police detectives “continue to evaluate exactly what happened [on Aug. 3] in the truck,” Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said the efforts “from the community providing tips to detectives tracking down leads” was a “great team effort.”
A witness told police a female was in a white tractor-trailer cab yelling for “Help” around 2 p.m. Aug. 3. The witness said the female was bleeding from her face, police said.
The male truck driver allegedly pulled the woman back into the cab and the truck headed Route 130 south getting off at the Ridge Road exit, police said.
Later that evening, police put out video footage and a photo of the white tractor-trailer and a description of the man and woman through a Nixle alert and on social media.
After receiving tips from around the country, law enforcement officials were able to track down the woman and man at 5:10 p.m. on Aug. 4, police said.
The break in the case came from Gabrielli Truck Sales located on Route 130 near where the incident took place, police said.
Company staff recovered video which allowed detectives to identify the truck as well as the female. Detectives searched locations in Middlesex and Union Counties looking for the truck. Detectives observed a male matching the witness description exit the truck in question and approached him. Detectives also contacted the woman seen in the video at the same location. Both the man and woman agreed to come to police headquarters on Aug. 4 to speak to police detectives.
“It was an exhaustive 26 hours, but we were able to locate the woman and make sure she was safe,” Hayducka said.
“This case exemplifies the power of so many coming together. I want to thank the witness who first reported the incident, the dozens of tips, and Gabrielli Truck Sales staff for getting involved to find this woman,” he said.
The South Brunswick police have been assisted in the investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.