Summit Residents Want Answers In Alleged Kidnapping Of Teen

SUMMIT, NJ — Summit residents say officials need to release more information after police charged a 33-year-old Union Township man a week ago Sunday with kidnapping a young woman off a residential street.

The Union County Prosecutor's Office and Summit police said the accused man pulled up to the 19-year-old woman while she was walking on Fernwood Road on April 11.

A parent who lives on Fernwood Road said Monday that referring to the crime as an "attempted abduction" in a Prosecutor's Office press release made it sound less concerning than it was. She said that after neighbors watched videos of the incident, they became more concerned, and that the neighborhood is becoming a "soft target" for crime.

The parent, who doesn't want her name used, said her neighbors plan to speak at Tuesday's Summit Common Council meeting in favor of closing access from Route 24/124 to Fernwood Road.

She said crime is on the rise in her area, and that "Our street, Fernwood Road, is a gateway to" cities with more crime.

On April 11, County Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo and Summit Police Chief Andrew Bartolotti had said that "swift action on the part of police officers in Summit resulted in the thwarting of an attempted abduction over the weekend" in a joint press release.

Shervon James, 33, of the Vauxhall section of Union Township was charged with first-degree kidnapping, they said.

They said that shortly after 4 p.m. on April 10, the 19-year-old victim was walking on Fernwood Road near Whittredge Road in Summit. "She was approached by an individual (later identified as James) driving a white four-door sedan, according to the preliminary investigation," said a release. "James was kept under surveillance until arrest warrants were issued, and he was taken into custody without incident."

The parent questioned why the Union County Prosecutor's Office didn't send out an updated release with more information. She also said she's glad the local police did their job, but "We want to make sure if it happens again, there's better communication."

In a Facebook thread about the incident, residents both thanked the police and expressed a desire for more communication.

A report in TAPInto late Monday said that a law enforcement affadavit, obtained through a formal public records request, showed that the girl was allegedly forced into the trunk of a vehicle, and only escaped because she managed to call 911 from the trunk.

The resident said that she believes crime is on the rise in her area. Besides recent car thefts, she said, one neighbor spotted people in ski masks in her yard recently. (Nearby in Westfield, three teens in ski masks were arrested in late March in connection with car burglaries.)

City and police respond

A city spokesperson said Monday, "If there was a threat to the safety of the community at any time, an alert on multiple channels would have been issued. On Saturday, April 10 police department messaging advised of an increased and prolonged investigation by detectives in the area. If a suspect was considered at large, the messaging would have been entirely different."

She said that most categories of crime are not rising, but there have been more car thefts throughout the region during the past year, particularly among unlocked cars.

Acting Director of Community Services Aaron Schrager said, "Whether or not to close the end of Fernwood Road where it meets Route 124 requires New Jersey Department of Transportation approval. The city of Summit engineering division will commission a traffic study to help evaluate the feasibility of a long-term closure."

The police chief had posted on Facebook on Thursday:

<blockquote>

"From Summit Police Chief Andrew Bartolotti: Understandably, the abduction of a 19-year-old Summit woman on Saturday, April 10 has caused a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty in the community. It is a priority of the Summit Police Department to provide for the safety of citizens and share as much timely, accurate information as allowed by law, and at the discretion of the Union County Prosecutors Office.

"Through the incredible bravery and clear-thinking of the victim, and swift mobilization of police officers and detectives, the perpetrator was immediately identified, put under surveillance in a neighboring location and no longer considered a threat to the safety of the community. Messaging was intended to advise of an increased and prolonged police investigation in the area. With overwhelming cooperation from the community, critical video evidence was collected and has led to building a solid case against the defendant, thank you.

"As a parent I fully understand your distress, and as your chief of police, I work every day for the benefit and safety of this community. But please know that this is an ongoing criminal investigation and the dissemination of case-related and inaccurate information on social media may compromise the ability of the prosecutor’s office to successfully prosecute this matter. Additionally, continuing public speculation and conversations on social media also have an adverse impact on the victim and her family. Please keep them in mind.

"At the Tuesday, April 20 Common Council meeting, I will be providing information on process and timing related to this incident.

"As of noon today, the Summit Police Department received notification that the defendant has been ordered by the Superior Court of New Jersey to remain in custody."

</blockquote>

The outcome

The suspect, James, was transported to the Union County Jail. The woman was unharmed, officials say.

“An immediate and thorough response by police officers and detectives ensured the swift apprehension of the suspect,” Chief Bartolotti said in the release a week ago. “Evidence indicates that this was an isolated incident, and there was no danger to other members of the community.”

Authorities asked property owners on Fernwood Road between Whittredge Road and Hillcrest Avenue, and on Woodmere Drive between Hillcrest and Summit avenues, to check their home security systems for video surveillance footage recorded on Saturday between 3:45 and 4:10 p.m., showing the suspect's white sedan. Contact detectives at 908-277-9400 (press option one, then option six, for the Detective Bureau) with any recorded footage.

Prosecutor Ruotolo and Chief Bartolotti thanked the Union Police Department, under the leadership of Director Daniel Zieser, for their assistance.

Convictions on criminal charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of 10 to 20 years in state prison.

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