Man Kidnaps North Jersey Student, Makes Him Drive Around For Drugs And Hookers: Police

A 19-year-old student feared for his life while he was kidnapped by a man police said forced him to get money and drive around Paterson so he could get drugs and solicit prostitutes, police said.

The student was at the drive-thru window at McDonald's in Wayne at 9 p.m. Thursday when Travis Mann asked to use his cell phone to contact his family, said Detective Capt. Laurence Martin.

The man got into the student's truck and threatened to harm him if he did not drive him to Paterson to purchase drugs; Mann was allegedly smoking synthetic marijuana and acted very irrationally, Martin said.

Mann forced the student to withdraw $190 from his checking account at ATMs, drive him to Paterson where he purchased and smoked crack cocaine and solicited prostitutes, the captain said.

The victim said he feared for his life, Martin said.

Mann, 35, allegedly told the student to drive him to his hometown of Wanaque where, at about 3 a.m. Friday, the victim escaped from Mann, contacted the manager at a 7-Eleven, who called 9-1-1, Martin said.

A Wanaque Police officer immediately responded to the scene and struggled with Mann, who tried to run, before taking him into custody, Martin said.

Mann was wearing an ankle bracelet, which he showed to the student, stemming from him allegedly robbing an Elmwood Park Walgreens Feb. 25, police said.

Mann acted disorderly and threatened officers while being processed at Wanaque Police headquarters, Martin said. He was then taken to Wayne Police headquarters where he continued to act irrationally; he was placed in a holding cell before being taken to the Passaic County Jail, he said.

Mann was charged out of Wayne with carjacking and kidnapping. Wanaque Police charged him with making terroristic threats, hindering apprehension, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, failure to surrender narcotics to law enforcement, possession of crack cocaine, tampering of evidence, obstruction and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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Travis Mann, 35 — Wayne Police Department/Background image via Shutterstock