FREEHOLD – An Asbury Park man has been convicted of luring and kidnapping a then-11-year-old girl off the street in 2023, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Tuesday.
Following an eight-day trial before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon, last week 30-year-old Raquan Folk was found guilty by a jury of first-degree Kidnapping, second-degree Luring a Child, and third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, the victim was walking on Ridge Avenue in Asbury Park when a man later identified as Folk pulled up to her in a vehicle and convinced her to get inside, according to an investigation led by Detective Kayla Santiago of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau and Detective Scott Ritter of the Asbury Park Police Department.
Folk then drove her to neighboring Neptune Township, stopped the vehicle, and told the victim to disrobe, prompting her to ask to use a bathroom. The victim at that point ran from the car, flagged down a passerby, and was taken to the Neptune Township Police Department.
Folk was taken into custody without incident days later and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI), where he has remained incarcerated since.
This case has been prosecuted by MCPO Assistant Prosecutor Keri-Leigh Schaefer of the Special Victims Bureau. Folk has been represented by Paul Zager, Esq., with an office in Red Bank.
Sentencing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 13, at which time Folk will face a term of up to 30 years in state prison on the Kidnapping charge alone.
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