A 16-year-old girl police initially believed kidnapped in the Bronx actually helped stage her own abduction, authorities said Tuesday.
A nearby security camera captured the apparent abduction, which police believed was perpetrated by two men who jumped out of a beige, four-door sedan and grabbed 16-year-old Karol Sanchez as she strolled with her mother in Melrose about 11:20 p.m. Monday.
The NYPD launched a citywide search in response to the apparent crime, asking New Yorkers to report any information about Sanchez or her abductors’ whereabouts.
Sanchez reappeared Tuesday, and admitted to staging the crime with the help of four accomplices, authorities said.
No criminal charges had been filed as of Tuesday night.
Kevin Deutsch is a Staff Writer for Bronx Justice News covering the criminal justice system, drugs, and DNA use by law enforcement. An award-winning journalist, Deutsch is the author of the true crime books "Pill City" and "The Triangle." He has worked on staff at the Daily News, Miami Herald, Newsday, The Palm Beach Post, and The Riverdale Press. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Forward, The Independent, Huffington Post, Orlando Sentinel, and the New York Post, among other publications. His numerous television appearances include spots on CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN's BookTV. He has also been featured in The New Yorker. A Bronx resident, Deutsch hosts the true crime podcast "A Dark Turn" on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.
