A teenager from Nassau County is safe after what police describe as a frightening ordeal, in which she was kidnapped and held against her will before she managed to call for help. Authorities said the young woman was being held at a motel in Huntington when she was finally able to reach out and bring an end to the situation.
Police have identified the man they say is responsible as 28-year-old Balraj Singh. According to authorities, Singh is now facing charges of kidnapping and aggravated harassment in connection with the case.
Investigators said the two were not strangers. According to court documents, Singh and the 19-year-old victim had known each other for more than a year before the events that led to his arrest.
The case, authorities said, was preceded by a sustained campaign of intimidation. Court documents say Singh threatened the young woman for weeks, both verbally and through phone calls and text messages, and that in doing so he was violating an order of protection that was already in place.
Prosecutors laid out what they say happened next. According to investigators, Singh demanded that the victim meet him in Woodbury on July 6th, part of the sequence of events that authorities say ended with her being held at the Huntington motel.
Officials described the pattern as an alarming one that they see all too often, involving threats aimed at a victim and her family. With the teenager now safe and Singh facing charges, the case moves forward as the court process gets underway.