Man With Shotgun Holds Woman Hostage In Newark: Police

NEWARK, NJ — Police in Essex County arrested an armed Newark man after he held a woman hostage in her apartment and threatened to kill her on Sunday night, authorities said.

According to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, a 27-year-old woman entered the department’s patrol headquarters on West Market Street shortly before midnight on Saturday. She told officers that her boyfriend – who was armed with a sawed-off shotgun – had just held her hostage in her Orange Street apartment.

The woman said her boyfriend repeatedly punched and threatened her, and that he told her, “I’ll kill you in this house,” police stated.

Essex County sheriff’s officers immediately responded to the apartment, where they found Jaquar Barker, also known as Daquan Barber-Hicks, 24, of Newark.

When he saw police, Barker slammed and deadbolted the door, then tried to flee through a rear window fire escape. Sheriff’s officers, who had surrounded the building, quickly apprehended him, authorities said.

Police seized a loaded, sawed-off, 16-gauge Stevens shotgun and 24 “small containers of crack-cocaine,” authorities said.

Barkers was charged with making terroristic threats, false imprisonment, assault, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. He was transported to the Essex County Correctional Facility, where he awaits a bail hearing, police said Monday.

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