Suspect accused of holding woman captive until her escape in New Jersey faces new charges
A man accused of kidnapping a woman in New Mexico and holding her captive for nearly a year in various states until she escaped to a New Jersey gas station has been indicted on six new charges by a state grand jury, officials said on Thursday.
James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault, one count of criminal coercion, and one count of theft by extortion, said a news release from the New Jersey Attorney General.
"The addition of aggravated sexual assault charges escalates the very serious nature of this case," said Director Pearl Minato of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice in the news release. Minato said the office will work "to ensure the defendant is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for his alleged crimes."
New Jersey State police first arrested Parrillo Jr. on Feb. 7 after the woman he kidnapped ran inside a gas station and locked the door behind her, officials said. Security video footage shows the woman in shorts and bare feet running into the gas station and Parrillo following her.
He tried to open the entrance but a gas station attendant quickly locked the door and prevented Parillo from entering. The gas station attendant called in a report to New Jersey State Police, and officers apprehended Parrillo later that day, officials said.
Parrillo is accused of kidnapping the woman in February 2022 after they met at a gas station in New Mexico. The voluntary relationship lasted for about a month, court documents said, until the pair arrived in California. The woman, whose name has not been released by law enforcement, said Parrillo allegedly assaulted her and took her credit cards and phone.
The woman was held "against her will for nearly a year," said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin in a statement, "before ending up here in New Jersey where she was able to escape."
Reporting contributed by Emily Mae Czachor