NYPD Captain Kidnapped, Assaulted Victim In Passaic County: Officials

PATERSON, NJ — A New York Police Department captain has been charged with seriously injuring a female victim, after Passaic County officials say he kidnapped and assaulted her last December in Paterson.

Hariton Marachilian faces charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping, and other crimes under the Domestic Violence Act, said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes on Thursday.

According to NYPD records, Marchilian joined the force in 2004, rising up the ranks before being named captain in 2019. As of August 1, he was assigned on patrol in Brooklyn North, but a spokesperson for the department told Patch on Thursday that he has been suspended without pay.

Valdes said that authorities had been investigating a domestic violence incident that took place on Dec. 10, 2022 in Paterson. The investigation identified Marachilian "as the actor who kidnapped and assaulted a female victim causing her to sustain serious injuries," the prosecutor said.

Officials arrested him on Dec. 1, 2023 and charged him with first-degree kidnapping, two counts of second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree criminal restraint, and third-degree criminal coercion.

The prosecutor's office filed a motion for pretrial detention, which is scheduled on Dec. 12 before a Superior Court Judge.

According to Civilian Complaint Review Board records, Marchilian has had seven complaints filed against him during his tenure with the NYPD. Two of the complaints, both dealing with abuse of authority, were found to be substantiated, records show.