TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — State troopers in Ohio have arrested a man from Mexico who they say abducted and
sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl from New Jersey.
The State Highway Patrol says the girl found traveling with the man Tuesday on the Ohio Turnpike was
listed in police databases as missing from Paterson, New Jersey.
Troopers say they arrested Juan Carlos Morales-Pedraza after a traffic stop near Toledo.
Authorities say he has been charged with abduction and will be in jail until he appears in court
Thursday. It’s not clear if he has an attorney.
A state patrol official says the 33-year-old man was living in the country illegally and had been
previously deported.
Troopers say the man was driving the girl to Chicago and they suspected and later confirmed she was
sexually assaulted.