Woman Gave Poisoned Tea To Acquaintance At Bergen County Restaurant: Prosecutors

FORT LEE, NJ — A Bergen County woman was arrested on Thursday for poisoning the tea of an acquaintance, officials said.

Rohweniven Bacani, 52, of Hackensack, was charged with aggravated assault, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office late Friday.

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Prosecutors said that on Sept. 11, the Leonia Police Department received information about a resident who was hospitalized due to a "serious medical episode that may have been the result of a poisoning."

Investigators determined that the victim believed she had been poisoned by Bacani.

Officials say that the victim had agreed to meet Bacani at a restaurant in Fort Lee on Sept. 8 to discuss unauthorized transactions on her bank account, to which Bacani had access.

When the victim arrived, Bacani was already there and offered the victim some tea, prosecutors say.

The victim drank some, but it tasted unusual, so she stopped, prosecutors say.

The victim collapsed while leaving the restaurant. She woke up in the hospital with no memory of how she got there, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors determined that the victim was poisoned with a benzodiazepine added to the tea.

Benzodiazepines can cause sedation, and are prescribed to reduce anxiety and seizures. Common brands include Valium and Xanax.

Bacani was charged with third-degree aggravated assault and arrested Thursday at her Hackensack home.

She was taken to the Bergen County Jail to await her first appearance in Superior Court in Hackensack.

The victim was hospitalized for several days and is recovering, prosecutors said.

The Fort Lee police and Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office helped prosecutors and Leonia police in the investigation, prosecutors said.