A Parsippany NJ woman was recently admitted into a probation program after allegedly filing a false report that she had been kidnapped.
The 21-year-old Parsippany woman reportedly called Parsippany police in September and told them that her life was in danger. According to police, the suspect said that she had been locked in the trunk of her vehicle and that her kidnappers intended to kill her within 24 hours.
Kidnapping is an extremely serious criminal offense in New Jersey. However, in this case, it is believed by police that the suspect fabricated the story about the kidnapping.
Police officers eventually found the suspect in the trunk of her vehicle, which had been parked at Volunteer’s Park in the Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany-Troy Hills. However, during the course of investigating the incident, police came across video surveillance footage which reportedly showed the suspect climbing into the trunk and closing it on herself.
The suspect was later charged with making a false public alarm and making false reports to law enforcement.
Since making a false public alarm is classified as a third degree criminal offense, the suspect faced a potential sentence of 3–5 years in NJ State Prison. However, when she appeared in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown, the suspect was granted admission into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program (PTI).
The PTI program is a form of probation. In this case, the program will last for 18 months.
As part of the PTI program, the suspect will be required to undergo a mental health evaluation. She will also need to perform 25 hours of community service.
If the suspect successfully meets the requirements of the PTI program and is not arrested for 18 months, the charges against her will be dismissed.
The terms of the plea deal do not require the suspect to admit guilt in the case. This is important because the suspect has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
To learn more about this case, check out the NJ.com article entitled “Woman Accused of Faking Her Own Kidnapping Gets Probation.”
