Mahwah Police Assist With Robbery, Kidnapping Investigation

MAHWAH, NJ - Township police assisted with the investigation of the alleged kidnapping and robbery of a taxi driver in Paterson in December, police said.

Wilber Jonathan Barahona, 20, of Ridgewood, and Jostin Vidal Soriano Reyes, 21, of Waldwick were charged with carjacking, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and armed robbery, said Detective Capt. Forest Lyons.

Barahona and Reyes are accused of assaulting and robbing a taxi driver who was taking them from Paterson to Waldwick at about 3 a.m. Dec. 26, Lyons said. The driver was ordered to pull over on North Monroe Street in Ridgewood where he was allegedly assaulted and robbed, police said.

The man was then kidnapped, taken in the cab, and dumped on the side of the New York Thruway, police said. He suffered several non-life threatening injuries.

The charges are the result of a six-week long investigation into the incident by members of a task force comprised of members of the Ridgewood, Hawthorne, Waldwick, and New York State police departments, along with the Bergen County and Passaic County prosecutor’s offices and the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force.

Barahona and Reyes, were also charged with possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.