Inset, shown top to bottom: Surveillance images capture the man reportedly responsible for kidnapping a 75-year-old woman in Massachusetts last week (Pembroke Police Dept.) and Michael J. Guerrero (PPD). Background: The dining venue where Guerrero is accused of abducting the victim (Google Maps).
A Rhode Island man, aged 36, is alleged to have impersonated a valet to kidnap a 75-year-old woman from a restaurant in Massachusetts. He is accused of trying to force her into “performing lewd acts” and threatened to shoot if she didn’t comply.
Authorities revealed that Michael J. Guerrero was apprehended late last week, facing multiple felony charges, such as kidnapping, indecent assault and battery targeting a person over 60, and assault with a dangerous weapon, in addition to other offenses.
Per a press statement from the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, the victim reported to the Pembroke Police Department on Sept. 15, describing being attacked by “an unknown assailant” during a “violent incident.”
The 75-year-old reported to the police that she had visited the Ninety-Nine Restaurant located in the 100 block of Church Street for dinner but had left her wallet and phone behind. Upon returning around 9:15 p.m., she was approached by a man who claimed he was employed as a valet at the restaurant.
“The front entrance of the Ninety-Nine Restaurant was locked by that time, and the man offered to drive the woman to a rear entrance, asserting it was accessible,” prosecutors stated. “He got into the driver’s seat of her car, driving away from the restaurant’s parking area toward the highway. The suspect demanded the woman perform lewd acts and mentioned having a gun if she refused.”
When the suspect stopped at a four-way intersection in what the woman believed was either Providence or Johnston, Rhode Island, the victim said she opened the door and attempted to escape from her own vehicle. That’s when the suspect turned off the vehicle’s engine, got out, and “threw the keys away from the victim” before fleeing the scene on foot.
The victim was then able to return to Massachusetts and report the incident to authorities. Police began posting images of the suspected kidnapper to the department’s social media pages and sought the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect, with help coming from the local restaurant community.
“Employees at numerous restaurants in and around Pembroke came forward with information stating a male individual resembling the suspect had visited their establishments prior to the kidnapping,” prosecutors said. “Through witness interviews and additional surveillance footage, investigators determined the suspect had used a ride-sharing app to get transportation to and from various locations the night of the incident.”
Authorities said their preliminary investigation identified Guerrero as the male suspect seen in the surveillance footage from the restaurant as well as the ride-sharing passenger who had visited numerous other bars and restaurants just prior to the incident.
An arrest warrant for Guerrero was issued and he was taken into custody in Rhode Island on Wednesday and extradited back to Massachusetts on Monday morning, police said in a news release.
Other charges facing Guerrero include carjacking, assault and battery on a person over 60, and threat to commit a crime. He appeared in Plymouth District Court for his arraignment on Monday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. He was ordered to be held without bond pending a dangerousness hearing, which is currently scheduled for Oct. 6, records show.
