A Reading man kidnapped his estranged lover at gunpoint after she agreed to meet him so he could have closure, then forced the woman to drive to the Pagoda, firing the weapon to stoke fear in her while threatening to kill her and himself, city police said.
Jefry W. Ambrocio-Carias, 29, of the 300 block of Mulberry Street was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail to await a hearing following arraignment Wednesday night before District Judge Alvin B. Robinson in Reading Central Court.
Police charged Ambrocio-Carias with kidnapping, unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment, making terroristic threats and possessing an instrument of crime.
According to the criminal complaint:
The victim said she had an affair with Ambrocio-Carias but had recently ended it. He texted her Jan. 1, asking her to meet him one last time on Jan. 2 before she went to work so he could have closure. He threatened to look for her at her workplace if she didn’t meet him.
On Jan. 2 about 4:15 a.m., the woman drove to Ambrocio-Carias’ home. As she got near the house, she saw Ambrocio-Carias outside the house with a gun.
He blocked her path so she couldn’t leave, got into the passenger side, pointed the gun at her and said, “We’re going somewhere.”
She started to drive toward her workplace, telling Ambrocio-Carias that she wasn’t afraid of him. Ambrocio-Carias fired the gun. The woman wasn’t struck by the round, but the gunfire caused the side airbags to deploy.
He told her to drive to the Pagoda. He pushed the barrel of the gun into her right leg, upsetting her so much that she was unable to drive and nearly crashed the car.
Ambrocio-Carias took over driving. They got out of the car at the Pagoda, and Ambrocio-Carias threatened to kill her and himself.
She calmed him by telling him everything would be all right. Ambrocio-Carias forced her back into the car and he drove them back to his house.
When they arrived, he told her to act calmly or he would shoot her. She had to climb through an unlocked window in the back of the house to get in. She unsuccessfully tried to close the window behind her to block Ambrocio-Carias.
She said she was eventually allowed to leave, but only after Ambrocio-Carias retrieved the bullet casings from her car.
The woman’s husband called police.
Initially responding to a reported criminal mischief incident, police were shown one bullet hole in the car’s roof and another in the trunk. They then learned the woman had been abducted at gunpoint.
They obtained an arrest warrant that day, but Ambrocio-Carias wasn’t located until Wednesday.
Arrest details were unavailable.
Where to find help
Call 9-1-1 if you or someone you know are in immediate danger.
To seek the help of an advocate or to contact Safe Berks, call the 24-hour hotline, 844-789-SAFE (7233) or text SAFE BERKS to 20121.
Safe Berks provides free and confidential services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault 24 hours a day. All services are available in English and Spanish, and translation will be used for any other language needed.
Source: Berkshire mont
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