An Elizabeth man is facing kidnapping and criminal restraint charges after refusing to let two people he was transporting from Texas leave when they refused to pay him more money, police said.
According to police, 26-year-old Luis A. Moreno, Jr., was pulled over sometime after 8 a.m. Friday morning by Port Authority officer, Port Authority police spokesman said.
The Silver 2002 Toyota SUV with a Texas license plate was occupied by Moreno and two passengers. The officer heard the yells of one of the passengers asking for help.
The officer ordered Moreno to stop but instead he began to pull away when he got stuck in traffic.
Assisting officers arrived, Moreno than stopped the vehicle but could not produce a driver's license upon officer's request, police said.
Police interviewed one of two men who told them they made an arrangement to pay Moreno an unspecified amount of money to drive them from Texas to Maryland.
However, once they arrived to Maryland, Morena locked the doors of the vehicle and demanded more money.
The victim told police, once they refused to pay more money, Moreno took victim's cell phone to prevent him from making any calls for help. According to police, a language barrier prevented communication with the second victim, who was only described as a 24-year-old Asian male.
Moreno is facing kidnapping, criminal restraint, receiving stolen property and driving with a suspended license, according to police.
He's currently being held in lieu of $1 million bail with no 10-percent option at the Bergen County Jail.