The prime suspect in a Soho kidnapping who allegedly held an Italian man captive and tortured him for weeks inside the suspect’s apartment was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Saturday, law enforcement sources said.
John Woeltz, 37, a crypto trader, faces multiple counts of assault, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon in the gruesome case uncovered on Friday when the victim made a daring escape from a Soho apartment and alerted a nearby traffic agent to his ordeal.
Based on a preliminary investigation, police said, the victim, a 28-year-old man visiting New York from Italy, confronted the traffic agent near the corner of Mulberry and Prince Streets at about 9:37 a.m. on May 23.
The victim told the agent that he had been kidnapped, beaten and held against his will in a nearby apartment since May 6.
The agent then contacted police, and officers from the 5th Precinct responded to the scene.
Law enforcement sources said the victim directed them to the apartment building where he had been kept — Woeltz’s residence at 38 Prince St. EMS would take the victim to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
According to multiple published reports, Woeltz was apprehended at the location, allegedly wearing a bathrobe and barefoot. A second suspect was also taken into custody; police identified her as Beatrice Folchi, 24, of West 21st Street.
During the investigation, cops entered Woeltz’s apartment and located a number of Polaroid photographs showing the victim tied up with electrical wire and tortured, published reports indicated. One of the images allegedly showed the victim having a gun pointed at his head.
During the investigation that followed, according to the criminal complaint, police learned that Woeltz and a second, unapprehended individual had allegedly seized the victim’s electronic devices and passport, and demanded that the victim provide them with his Bitcoin password.
The victim’s repeated refusal led to weeks of beatings and torture inside the Prince Street residence. The criminal complaint noted that the victim had been shocked with electric wires; pistol-whipped with a firearm; and subjected to numerous death threats, including (at one point) being carried to the top flight of stairs and being hung over a ledge. In another instance, Woeltz allegedly had threatened to have the victim’s family killed if he did not cooperate.
Police sources also learned that at one point during his ordeal, the victim’s kidnappers threatened to lop off his legs with a chainsaw, WABC-TV reported.
Woeltz was booked on two charges of second-degree assault, along with counts of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon. Folchi, meanwhile, was charged with first-degree kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.
At his arraignment on May 24 in New York County Criminal Court, Woeltz was ordered held without bail. He is set to return to court on May 28.
Updated on May 25 at 9:15 a.m.
