Driver "dumped" along New York highway, police say
RIDGEWOOD -- Authorities on Tuesday said they arrested two men for allegedly robbing and kidnapping a taxi driver in Ridgewood late last year.
Wilber Jonathan Barahona, of Ridgewood, and Jostin Vidal Soriano Reyes, of Waldwick, face charges of carjacking, kidnapping, armed robbery, aggravated assault and weapons offenses.
The pair hailed a taxi in Paterson around 3 a.m. on Dec. 26, police said in a news release. While heading to Waldwick, they ordered the driver to pull over on North Monroe Street in Ridgewood.
The driver was assaulted and robbed after stopping, according to police. The two men kidnapped the cabbie and traveled to the New York State Thruway in his taxi.
"[The victim] was dumped on the side of the New York State Thruway suffering several non life-threatening injuries," the police statement said.
A village police spokesman said additional details were not yet available because the investigation was continuing.
Police said the six-week probe involved a task force made up of local investigators, Hawthorne, Waldwick and Mahwah police, along with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, New York and New Jersey state police.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.