A woman was able to escape from her abusive kidnapper who abducted her nearly a year before in New Mexico.
James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, faces first-degree kidnapping, second-degree strangulation and aggravated assault, and third-degree criminal restraint, as well as third-degree hindering apprehension and fourth-degree obstruction and refusing to provide a DNA sample.
The woman, whose name has not been disclosed, says Parrillo held her against her will during a cross-country trip. The two ended up in New Jersey in December and rented a room at Bass River Township.
The victim escaped and fled to a nearby gas station one night after Parrillo allegedly began beating and choking her in New Jersey, PEOPLE reported.
She ran to the gas station in 42-degree weather, wearing only shorts and a shirt. Once inside, she locked the door and told the attendant she had been held against her will for roughly the past year.
Surveillance footage shows the woman running to the gas station as her alleged captor follows her to the door and leaves after realizing it’s locked.
The victim says she met Parillo, whom she knew as Brett Parker, in February 2022 at a gas station in N.M., and agreed to give him a ride to Arizona.
She told authorities that they began a consensual relationship for the first month, but he assaulted her when they were in California, at which point she felt unsafe leaving the relationship. She says he also took her phone and debit cards and isolated her from her family.
Parillo is detained at Burlington County Jail and awaits his pre-trial hearing on Wednesday. He faces a combined sentence of up to nearly 47 years in prison and a fine of up to $475,000.
