Teenager abducted from basement of his home found badly injured, 3 suspects arrested
A 17-year-old boy who was abducted from the basement of his own home has been found badly injured at a property about a mile away as three suspects have been taken into custody.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday evening when authorities say an unnamed 17-year-old boy was abducted from the basement of his home in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to ABC News’ Philadelphia station WPVI.
When officers arrived to the scene of the crime, the teen’s family members told authorities they heard a noise coming from the basement of the family’s house that sounded like a struggle, but when they went to see what was going on they discovered that the 17-year-old had vanished, according to WPVI.
Family members discovered a bullet hole in the basement but told authorities that they did not hear a gun discharge at any point during the struggle.
The Philadelphia Police Department said that the victim’s vehicle was still parked outside of the home at the time of the suspected abduction and blood and three bullets were also found in the vicinity outside the house, according to WPVI.
After conducting their initial investigation, authorities were able to pinpoint the boy’s location thanks to his cellphone, police told WPVI.
"We were able to track the 17-year-old's cellphone to a property in the 6200 block of Trotter Street,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told WPVI. “When police went to that location, they declared it a barricade since we believed that this was an abduction point of gun."
Hostage negotiators and a SWAT unit were immediately dispatched to the suspected location of the 17-year-old at approximately 2 a.m. Monday morning.
Upon arrival, authorities were able to make contact with three suspects involved in the abduction -- one male and two females, all in their 20’s -- before convincing them to exit the property, according to WPVI.
Police entered the premises and found the 17-year-old bleeding heavily and suffering from bruising to his face and head while he was in and out of consciousness.
The teen was taken to a local area hospital to be treated for his injuries and was reunited with his family after the three-hour ordeal.
Authorities say that they don’t yet know the motive of the abduction but did confirm to WPVI that they believe the teenager has a history with at least one, if not all, of the three suspects involved in the case.
The Philadelphia Police Department was able to identify all three people involved in the abduction with help from the victim and they were subsequently arrested and taken into custody where they are awaiting charges. The investigation is currently ongoing and it is unclear if the suspects have retained legal representation at this time.
