Two Rochester students were rescued by aSWAT team on Sunday after being abductedand held hostage overnight.
According to the police,Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, who are both seniors at the school, were reported missing at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 5 under "suspicious circumstances."Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said the two boys were held against their will for many hours before they were finally rescued the next day.
Ciminelli said the boys were "forcibly abducted" and were later found at aa residence located on Harvest Street, which is approximately four miles from campus,on Sunday after the police participated in a hostage negotiation at approximately 9:20 a.m.
University of Rochester students who were allegedly abducted and held hostage were rescued https://t.co/TjhLm2Yu8E pic.twitter.com/dPbKyJxTpu
— People magazine (@people) December 7, 2015"We developed a tactical plan and after observing certain activity in that location the determination was made, we authorized the SWAT team to do an entry and the Rochester Police department SWAT team did enter that location and in fact did a hostage rescue," Ciminelli said during a press conference on Sunday night.
Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were taken to a nearby hospital, and although one of them suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, both are said to be in good condition with non-life threatening injuries.
"The two University of Rochester students who were wrongfully held, for many, many hours have been successfully recovered, are healthy, are alive," University of Rochester President Joel Seligman said. "There is a collective sense of relief tonight that all of us feel. This could have turned out in a very different way."
The authorities have reported that they have four suspects in custody.
As of now, it is not known why the Rochester students were abducted. The police believe this was an isolated incident, and Kollias and Ewo were targeted by their abductors. They do not believe there is a direct threat to the University of Rochester. The suspects will face kidnapping and assault charges, and according to the police, more arrests and charges may soon follow.
Rochester Police Department and Public Safety seek information on missing students pic.twitter.com/PFltDiglai
— Rochester NY Police (@RochesterNYPD) December 6, 2015"I do want to point out this was a directed event and we have no information or evidence of any kind that this constituted a general threat to the University of Rochester community, nor do we have any information or evidence that there is a threat or safety concern to the University of Rochester community at this point," Ciminelli said.
The investigation into the Rochester student's abduction is ongoing. The suspects have not formallybeen charged, therefore their identities are being withheld at this time.
