Amber Alert Canceled, Abducted 16-Year-Old Girl Located
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PENN HILLS, Pa. (KDKA) – Police located 16-year-old Marjani Aquil early Thursday morning after she had reportedly been abducted by her ex-boyfriend on Wednesday night.
Allegheny County Police say they learned around midnight that Aquil was at a home on 28th Street in McKeesport. When police arrived, officers forced their way inside the home and rescued Aquil. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of what appeared to be minor injuries.
Police say the suspect in Aquil's abduction, Jermaine Laquay Rodgers, was hiding in the cellar of the same home. After a standoff which lasted a little more than two hours, a police SWAT team entered the home and took Rodgers into custody.
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"They broke the window under the porch so they could see into that area and that's where they saw him hiding in the coal cellar. He was ordered to show his hands and remains there… until the team that was in the basement could come and take him into custody," said Allegheny County Police Insp. Christopher Kearns.
Police said two other people were also inside the home when police first arrived. An official described them as a resident and a missing juvenile from Munhall.
Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton said the 19-year-old Rodgers broke into Aquil's home on Glenbrook Court in Penn Hills Wednesday night, assaulted her and forced her into a red sedan.
An Amber Alert was officially issued at 8:14 p.m. It was canceled at 1:34 a.m. Thursday.
The #PennHills, #Pennsylvania #AMBERAlert has been cancelled. https://t.co/yzBQXqvD0K
— AMBER Alert (@AMBERAlert) January 17, 2019
Police said this is the second time in a year that Rodgers abducted Aquil.
Rodgers was arrested this past March for an alleged Jan. 29, 2018, incident where he held Aquil against her will in a Wilkinsburg apartment for four days. Aquil alleged that Rodgers physically prevented her from communicating with family or friends, and he also physically assaulted her during that time.
KDKA's Meghan Schiller Reports:
Rodgers was out of jail on probation after trial for the 2018 incident.
He will face charges of kidnapping of a minor, burglary, unlawful restraint of a minor, terroristic threats, simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief.
Police say the Munhall juvenile was turned over to the custody of Allegheny County Children and Youth Services.
The other man who was in the McKeesport house, identified by police as 18-year-old Christian Peterson, will be charged by McKeesport Police with hindering apprehension or prosecution and obstructing administration of law or other government function.
Aquil is the niece of former Olympic gold-medal winning wrestler and WWE superstar Kurt Angle.
Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the police at 412-473-3705.
Stay with KDKA and KDKA.com for this developing story.
