Police: Man abducted woman after running her car off the road in Bethlehem
The victim was being evaluated for injuries.
BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A man is accused of driving a woman off the road and kidnapping her in the Lehigh Valley on Tuesday morning.
The suspect, 27-year-old Ruben Carrion Melendez, was arrested several hours later at the Holland Tunnel.
Witnesses told police it started outside the QVC warehouse on Commerce Center Boulevard in Bethlehem right around 7:15 a.m.
That's where Melendez was in his vehicle allegedly chasing another vehicle driven by the 25-year-old victim.
Northampton County DA Terry Houck says Melendez ran the other vehicle off the road and got out of his car.
"He forced himself inside her car, shoved her over to the passenger side, crashed her car into a pole, then drug her by her hair into his car and then escaped. All against her will," Houck said.
Police were quickly notified, and approximately two hours later officers from the Port Authority spotted the suspect's black Honda Civic near the Holland Tunnel.
Officers pulled him over and made the arrest.
The victim was taken to the hospital where she was treated for relatively minor injuries.
Houck says his office is investigating what kind of relationship the victim had with Melendez, but he did say the woman has an active protection from abuse order against him, and Houck is just happy Melendez is behind bars.
"He was making threats early to her mother about this woman, who had a PFA already against him," he said. "She's done everything possible to stay away from this guy and we were concerned," he said.
Melendez faces a number of charges including kidnapping, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats.
