A New York City woman is accused of kidnapping and torturing a man she met on Instagram for more than 12 hours while demanding a $100,000 ransom from his brother, authorities said Tuesday.
Valerie Rosario, 21, is alleged to have "lured" the unidentified victim, 24, to a Bronx apartment on Feb. 7, police said.
At least two men with firearms are alleged to have waited until he went inside and then entered the apartment after him.
One of the men hit the victim with a pistol, according to a complaint provided by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The suspects undressed the victim and put him in a bathtub, the complaint says. They then poured flammable liquid on him, burned him with a flame and repeatedly stabbed him with a knife, it alleges.
Around 2:40 p.m., the victim's brother said he received a FaceTime call and saw three masked individuals surrounding the victim, the complaint states.
One of the suspects cut the victim while stating, “Give us $100,000 or we will kill him," according to the complaint.
Police said the victim was later driven from the Bronx apartment to a location in Queens, where a detective saw one of the suspects in a van with a knife. The suspect, Javier Vargas, 24, of the Bronx, was arrested Feb. 7 and charged with robbery, assault, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.
The victim was in the back of the van wrapped in a moving blanket with his nose and mouth covered with tape, police said. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Rosario and another suspect, Michael Candelario, were taken into custody Wednesday and charged with attempted murder, robbery, assault, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.
Rosario was arraigned last week. Judge Soma Syed remanded her into custody, granting a request from prosecutors. Raymond Loving, Rosario's lawyer, said she denies all allegations against her.
The two other defendants were also arraigned and remain in custody. Their attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment.