Fort Lee, NJ man was kidnapped, transported to Queens for ransom, cops say

FORT LEE — A borough man was allegedly kidnapped from his home on Monday and held for ransom for a day, until he was eventually rescued by authorities.

Three New Yorkers allegedly responsible for the crime were caught and charged with conspiring to commit kidnapping.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, Fa Deng, 42, of Staten Island, Albert Ferrelli, 50, of Queens, and Chiahao Lee, 30, of Queens, could spend life in prison if convicted.

According to case documents, which do not identify the victim by name, the three defendants and another conspirator drove to the home of the victim on Catherine Street, entered wearing masks, and then bound the victim's hands and placed duct tape over his eyes and mouth, before forcing him into a vehicle.

Law enforcement was notified that the victim's wife, who resides in China, was contacted by the suspects, who were demanding a ransom of approximately $680,000. The wife had received a photo of her husband with duct tape over his eyes and mouth.

At around the same time, a neighbor called police to report that two unknown men were walking around the victim's home.

When officers arrived at the home, they located evidence of foul play.

A subsequent review of local surveillance footage was able to identify the vehicle used in the abduction, a gray minivan. Authorities were able to locate the van in other footage and found that it had crossed the George Washington Bridge and traveled into Queens.

New York police responded to a location in Queens, where they encountered Ferrelli guarding the door. They could hear a man screaming for help from inside the building, and when they entered, found the victim still bound with his eyes and mouth covered.

Surveillance footage uncovered that during his captivity, the victim attempted to escape but was eventually found and brought back into the building.

The gray minivan seen in the surveillance footage was found parked in the driveway of Lee's home in Queens. The minivan had been rented by Lee's wife at LaGuardia Airport.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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