Neighbors have started making claims that Levi Aron, the man who pled not guilty to charges of first-degree murder this week after he previously confessed to killing and dismembering an 8-year-old Hasidic boy, had an obsession with young boys, and had tried to kidnap them before. Zisa Berkowitz told the Post that Aron had tried to kidnap her young son off their block on East Second Street in the last two years, but she scared him off by screaming. And another source told The Daily that Aron had stalked an 11-year-old in Borough Park the week before he is accused of killing Leiby Kletzky. "He kept turning around, feeling suspicious, and kept noticing the car was there, so he broke into a run and quickly went home to tell his parents," the source said.
Neighbors Say Child Murder Suspect Tried To Kidnap Before
NH Man Accused Of Luring, Raping NYC Woman Via Craigslist
A New Hampshire man is accused of luring a NYC woman to his New England home via Craigslist, kidnapping her, and raping her for three days. Jeffrey Gray, a New Hampshire town official, had been on the lam for the last two weeks; he avoided police by checking himself into a veteran's hospital. He was caught yesterday by police, and charged with kidnapping, rape, false imprisonment and assault.
LI Couple Caught Fake Kidnapping Themselves
A Long Island couple who faked their own kidnapping was arrested yesterday for the poorly planned charade, mere hours after it began. Mastic Beach couple Stephanie Benatatos, 21, and Zifiris "John" Valsamis, 24, faked the whole episode in an attempt to obtain money from her parents.
Video: Man Continues Kidnapping Claims Despite Family's Denials (Updated)
Update: The AP is reporting that DNA test results have shown that John Barnes is not the same man as the toddler kidnapped on Long Island 54 years ago. Jerry Damman, the father of the missing Stephen Damman, said to reporters, "It's too bad we had to go through all of this for actually nothing in the end." The story from earlier continues below.
Man Believes He Is 1955 Long Island Kidnapping Victim
The man who believes to be the young boy kidnapped on Long Island over fifty years ago has come forward and talked to reporters today about piecing together his confused past. John Barnes, 54, told reporters that from childhood he never felt as though he fit in with the family that raised him. Barnes found old pictures of the two-year-old kidnapping victim, Steven Damman, and noticed a resemblance while doing online research looking for clues about his past. The News says that Barnes has a scar on his face and mole behind his right calf that suggest he is the child whose high-profile kidnapping case has baffled detectives for years. He is still awaiting an official DNA test being conducted by the FBI.
Man Mugged, Kidnapped in Williamsburg
Yikes! The Brooklyn Paper's police blotter details a kidnapping/mugging in Williamsburg. They report that on May 22 two perps armed with a semi-automatic pistol snatched up a Brooklyn man on Kent and North 9th around 10:30 p.m. While he was in the car (a white four-door sedan with tinted windows), they covered his eyes and emptied his pockets, taking his wallet and cellphone. They then drove to a bank on Broadway and forced the PIN number out of their victim, withdrawing around $200 from his account. Once they were done with him, about a half hour after first picking him up, they dropped him at South 11th Street between Berry and Wythe, leaving him 5 bucks for a cab. The victim managed to flag down a cop on Bedford to report the crime, which the paper says mirrors a similar incident from earlier in the month. In general, it's probably not a good idea to walk alone down the deserted Kent Avenue at night.
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