Asbury Park Man Found Guilty Of Luring & Kidnapping Preteen Girl
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 6:45 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
ASBURY PARK, NJ.- Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago reported that a 30-year-old Asbury Park, New Jersey, man has been convicted in connection with the May 2023 luring and kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl, who was able to escape before being sexually abused.
Last week, following an eight-day trial in Monmouth County Superior Court before Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon, a jury found Raquan Folk, 30, guilty of first-degree Kidnapping; second-degree Luring of a Child; and third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
According To The Initial Police Reports
According to the initial police reports, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, shortly before 5:30 p.m., the 11-year-old victim was walking along Ridge Avenue in the City of Asbury Park when a man, later identified as Folk, pulled up alongside her in his vehicle and convinced her to get into his vehicle.
Folk then drove the child into neighboring Neptune Township, parked his vehicle, and told the young girl to take her clothes off, prompting her to ask to use the bathroom. At that point, the child ran from Folk’s car and flagged down a passerby, who then took her to the Neptune Township Police Department.
The ensuing investigation, led by Detective Kayla Santiago of the Monmouth County Special Victims Unit and Detective Scott Ritter of the Asbury Park Police Department, identified Folk as the perpetrator. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Within a few days, Folk was taken into custody without incident and formally charged. Following his arrest, Folk was remanded to the Monmouth County Correction Institution, where he has remained since.
