Hopatcong New Jersey Man Kidnapped His Sons

A Hopatcong NJ man could be headed to New Jersey State Prison after admitted to kidnapping his two young children in 2015.

The suspect is a 38-year-old man from Hopatcong, NJ. On February 9, 2015, he reportedly abducted his two kids during a custody visit. The suspect was embroiled in a child custody dispute with the children’s mother. Under the terms of the custody arrangement, the suspect was supposed to visit the kids and then return them to the mother’s house in Landing, New Jersey. Instead, the suspect fled New Jersey with the kids.

Police searched the country for the suspect and his two young victims before eventually located them at a Florida hotel on March 18, 2015. Police officers then arrested the suspect in Florida and extradited him back to New Jersey so that he could face criminal charges for first degree kidnapping and second degree interference of custody.

If the suspect had been convicted in Sussex County Superior Court on the most serious felony charges for kidnapping, he could have been sentenced to 20 years behind bars. However, the suspect reached a plea deal with prosecutors that allowed him to be sentenced to 10 years in state prison.

In addition to facing the criminal charges for kidnapping, the suspect was also subject to investigation by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP), formerly known as the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). That’s because the kidnapping involved his children.

To learn more about this case, check out the NJ.com article, “Dad Who Fled with Sons, Causing Massive Search Reportedly Pleads Guilty.”