Man Held Woman, 2 Kids Hostage In Motel: Hudson Co. Prosecutor

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Authorities "de-escalated a hostage situation" at the Days Inn in North Bergen on Tuesday in which a 21-year-old New York City man held a woman and her two young children against her will, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Wednesday.

Divine Torres, 21, of Staten Island has been charged with kidnapping, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a count of aggravated assault (strangulation of a domestic violence victim), and terroristic threats, authorities said.

Officials noted additional charges against Torres are pending in New York City.

Just after 10 a.m. Tuesday morning North Bergen Police responded to the Days Inn at 2600 Tonnelle Ave. after being notified by the NYPD that they were there conducting an investigation into a woman being taken and held against her will, police said. The woman was with her two children, ages 2-years-old and 3 months.

Hudson County Regional SWAT responded to the scene and with their crisis and hostage negotiators, and "were able to make contact with the suspect and safely and peacefully negotiate his surrender and the release of the hostages," Suarez' office said. "There were no injuries during the operation to civilians or law enforcement."

“Yesterday’s response by Hudson County SWAT was an excellent job in which the officers utilized their training and resources to peacefully and safely de-escalate a potentially dangerous situation,” Suarez said.

Meanwhile, news reports from a year ago tell of New York police receiving "citywide praise" for responding to a "domestic dispute" involving a man with the same name, as they discovered a loaded handgun nearby.

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