Hudson Valley Man Arrested After 911 ‘Kidnapping’ Call
A Hudson Valley man was arrested after police say they found two children and two others in the back of a U-Haul.
On Sunday around 12:15 p.m., New Jersey State Police stopped a U-Haul truck heading north on the Garden State Parkway near Toms River. A 6-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl and two men were found riding in the back of the U-Haul, with several mattresses placed on the floor of the U-Haul, police say.
An unidentified woman and 46-year-old John Williams of Kingston were found in the front of the truck, officials say.
New Jersey 101.5 reports police pulled the U-Haul over because a man called 911 and claimed to have been kidnapped. Police later learned the man called 911 because he wanted to get out of the box part of the U-Haul but William allegedly refused.
A police report states the two children "appeared in disarray and neglected.” The man who called 911 from the car had a minor head injury, officials say. Officials were able to find the U-Haul by pinging the man's cellphone.
Williams was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of his children and false imprisonment. Police note, while the initial 911 call said it was kidnapping, this is not being investigated as kidnapping or abduction. However the passengers were held against their will, police say.
The U-Haul was rented in Kingston on Feb. 26, according to Ocean County Scanner News. Williams allegedly drove to Atlantic City with the two men and children in the box portion of the U-Haul.
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