Kidnapped Woman Fled Knife-Wielding Man To Ocean Co. Wawa: Affidavit

BARNEGAT, NJ — A Jackson man is accused of kidnapping and threatening to kill a Barnegat woman who escaped when he pulled into a Wawa after driving around threatening to stab her with a knife, according to court records.

Joseph M. Gratacos, 30, was charged with threatening to kill, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, knowingly causing bodily injury to another and kidnapping, according to Ocean County Jail records. Gratacos was arrested on July 17 and has since been released, according to records. Authorities did not say where he was arrested.

The victim told police that Gratacos began arguing with her after she got home from work, and when he refused to leave, she threatened to call the police, but he grabbed the phone from her, according to an affidavit obtained by Patch. She said that Gratacos was under the influence of Kratom pills, a legal herbal supplement that produces opioid- and stimulant-like effects, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Gratacos then made the victim sit on the couch, grabbed a knife and threatened to stab her "multiple times," before forcing her to leave through the back door to his car, hiding the knife as he did so, the affidavit said. Gratacos kept the knife between his legs while driving and threatened to stab the victim if she tried to escape the car, according to the affidavit.

Gratacos drove toward Jackson, where he stopped at a nearby Home Depot, apologized to the victim and gave her the knife, the affidavit said. He then drove back to Barnegat, asking "what to do with her" and threatening to stab her in the neck with a pen if she did not answer her family's phone calls "so as to not arise suspicion," according to the affidavit. He also threatened to suffocate her and shoot her, the affidavit said.

He parked at Wawa in Barnegat to talk for about 20 minutes, the affidavit said. The victim was able to get out of the car and run into the store, and Gratacos did not try to chase her, the affidavit said.

Once inside the Wawa, the victim had employees call the police, leading to Gratacos's arrest, according to the affidavit.