You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Inalia Rolldan was indicted on two counts of second-degree kidnapping but not assault charges. "They were extremely organized," said Nicholas. The remaining five defendants have all already pleaded guilty to various roles in the incident. Nicholas Kollias and his college buddy spent nearly two days in hell, held captive, tortured, even shot. Police said Nicholas Kollias of Northbrook, Illinois, and Ani Okeke Ewo, of Aurora, Illinois, were abducted and held hostage. "The cellphone video was clearly, in my opinion, the most essential piece of evidence and perhaps yes, also the most damning as well," said Schwartz. Neither victim hadbeen heard from publiclyuntil Kollias testified in court. "They didn't want to go in my apartment and they suggested that we go over to their place," said Nicholas. Kollias and Ewo were lured to the Harvest Street home by two women they did not know late one Friday night. But soon the changing scenery catches Nicholas's attention. Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, both University of Rochesterfootball players from Illinois, were lured to a home for what they thought was a Saturday night house party. According to Kollias, the lights went off and a group of men rushed into the dark room and 40-hours of hell began. "They tied up our hands and legs and dragged Ani and I into this bathroom," said Nicholas Kollias. ", "I thought the house was being burned down," said Nicholas. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. -- University of Rochester Spokesperson Sara Miller. What had seemed like an innocent college date night was suddenly looking like a vicious setup. Find the girls and maybe they'll find the boys. The two men were then taken into the bathroom and had their hands and feet taped together and were tortured with hedge clippers and other improvised weapons before being sexually assaulted for the next 40 hours. What Nicholas doesn't know is that the cavalry is on the way. The second victim [Kollias] being involved was pure happenstance, Schwartz told the Tribune. During the trial, Strickland was said to be the mastermind and was given a 155-year sentence, with Rivera being given 35 years. Warner Bros. Entertainment | SWAT Team Rescues Forcibly Abducted College Students - Newsweek "I was just kind of feeling worse, not optimistic at all that we would be found.". One had been shot in the leg ahead of the rescue. Six people have been charged in the abduction of two University of Rochester students, PEOPLE confirms. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. They're trapped. They soon catch a break when they track down the girl who messaged Ani. On December 4, 2015, Ani and Kollias were hanging out with their friends from the football team, when they were approached by a lady Samantha Hughes, who tried to friend the two players on Facebook earlier in the week. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Nicholas spent the next 25 days in intensive care. Survivor Story 5 - Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo. I was thinking about my family, parents, and God. "That's when these individuals were holding me at gunpoint and they were making me call all these different financial institutions to get my withdrawal limits increased, and doing whatever they could to get money out of my accounts," said Nicholas. Elige entre ms de 90.000 audiolibros y podcasts originales. Even with all he went through Nicholas Kollias still managed to graduate college a semester early and now works for a financial services firm. Lydell Strickland, 26, Dennis Perez, 23, and Leah Gigliotti, 20, all of Rochester, and Samantha Hughes, 19, of Pittsford, are charged with first-degree kidnapping, while Inalia Rolldan, 19, and Ruth Lora, 19, both of Rochester, face charges of second-degree kidnapping, a Rochester Police spokeswoman tells PEOPLE. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". UR students abducted, hurt, prosecutor says. Turns out Nicholas had been shot twice, once in each leg. "There was nothing I could do, and then I just remember getting hit over the head with a bat and I'm laying on the ground and these men are just screaming, just 'Don't fight us, just take it and don't try and escape,'" said Nicholas. All rights reserved (About Us). The two students, Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, were reported missing Saturday after they were last seen near campus in the early morning hours. The pair went to a house that reeked of urine and sat on a sofa. Three of the defendants are sentenced to seven to 15 years in prison. Copyright 2022 Rolling Out. David Alcaraz-Ubiles, one of his co-defendants, was found guilty of kidnapping and weapons charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison, which he will serve after completing a separate 15-year sentence for an unrelated crime. "I'm not going to close my eyes. As the sun began to set on Sunday, Kollias thought he was going to die from his injuries. "The plan really was to basically drain all the bank accounts," said Scott Peters. She had to go to work, so she said 'Can I meet up with you tomorrow and we can finish this,'" said Deputy Chief Scott Peters. All rights reserved (About Us). Strickland and company then wanted revenge. In December 2015, Nicholas Kollias and fellow senior Ani Okeke Ewo, both University of Rochester football players, were kidnapped near the New York campus. It turned out that Smith was in on it and the blame then shifted onto Ewo, who the other dealers just assumed was involved. Associated Press Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were last seen around 2 a.m. Saturday near the school. Then the camera swings right to reveal Nicholas curled up in pain as the kidnappers throw slurs and prod his injured leg. He still has a titanium rod in his left leg and a bullet lodged in his right calf. "Please! The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, both 21-year-old students, were lured to a house several miles from campus for what they believed was a party. At a press conference late Sunday night,. It only got worse as time went on.". Kollias saidhe lost four pints of blood -- almost 40 percent in the average human body -- as nine kidnappers threatened to chop off his toes and doused him with lighter fluid, threatening to light him on fire. "My life was put in jeopardy on numerous occasions all because of Isaiah getting bailed out, and poor decision-making on many university officials.". Then they see a closed door. "I thought they were burning down the house," he said, "but it was the SWAT team saving our lives.". ", "We rolled the dice on the first house we hit was the correct one," said Peters. "This is gonna be a hostage rescue," said Peters. Over the next 40 hours, the pair were repeatedly tortured and sexually abused, including being cut with knives and a chainsaw and being doused with flammable liquids. It's deeply disturbing. Those charged face multiple counts of kidnapping and assault. December 4,. "They put flammable liquids on us, saying they were going to light us on fire," he said. It was not just about money, but revenge. I was the first one out of my direct family to go to college.". But this Friday night out would be like no other. "Very quickly he ran back inside and shut the door," said Peters. Nicholas Kollias, of Northbrook, Illinois, and Ani Okeke Ewo, of Aurora, Illinois, were reported missing Saturday evening, hours after they were last seen near the school. This website or its third-party tools process personal data.In case of sale of your personal information, you may opt out by using the link. Kollias also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg in the ordeal. In December 2016, Strickland, who was believed to be the leader, was sentenced to 155 years in prison after being found guilty on 31 charges, that included assault, gang assault, and robbery. The two were rescued by a Rochester police SWAT team. That robbery led a group of drug dealers to abduct two other UR football players, Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, in a case of mistaken identity. When the kidnapping turn out to be a mistake of identity and resulted in complex deceit where drug dealer Smith had arranged an earlier fake robbery earlier. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. This is the story Ani Okeke, a victim of abduction and abuse. It's now Sunday morning at 22 Harvest Street, more than 30 hours in. Throughout the weekend, Kollias said he could hear the sounds of numerous people coming and going from the house At one point, Kollias said he heardmen and womenwatching football games on television in an adjacent room. Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were last seen around 2 a.m. Saturday near the school. Ex-football coach sues U of Rochester over ESPN special Ani Okeke Ewo is a student at The University of Rochester who is believed to be in his early twenties and played as a cornerback for The University of Rochester football team and hometown Romeoville, Illinois. It's Friday night, Dec. 4, 2015. According to the Post, Kollias and Ewo, both of whom played on the university's football team, were targeted becauseStrickland and his co-defendants mistakenly believed that they were involved in the robbery of a group of drug dealers in November 2015. "She was trying to give us the runaround. ', The university spokesman issued a separate statement, saying: 'The University of Rochester is grateful to the Rochester Police Department for the sustained efforts that led to the swift arrests and charges in the abduction of our two students. A month later, all of the perpetrators are in custody: nine in total, five men and four women. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Other known charges are as follows: Dennis Perez: Twocounts of first-degree gang assault, six counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree robbery, ninecounts of first-degree predatory sexual assault, one count of first-degree criminal use of a firearm, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon. "First of all both phones were turned off. Someone from inside comes out and sees the swarm of heavily armed SWAT officers. Find service information, send flowers, and leave memories and thoughts in the Guestbook for your loved one. ", "Even before this review is completed," he said, "let me today announce that I have authorized Public Safety to initiate a new patrol unit, which proactively will address drug, alcohol, mental health and other safety issues on campus.". He was then hit in the head with a baseball bat and dragged into the bathroom along with Ewo. "At that point I got up, trying to run for the exit," Nicholas Kollias, now 22, testified Thursday about the attack that precipitated the hours of torture he and classmate, Ani Okeke Ewo, were . "I sat down on this couch in the living room and next thing I knew it was just, the lights went out and about five to 10 men in just masks come out just screaming, so many loud noises, and just they're all armed with bats and bars and knives, guns, and the first thing that just pops in, I mean, fight or flight. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? University of Rochester students Ani Okeke Ewo, left, and Nicholas Kollias are seen in undated photos distributed by authorities after their 2015 abduction. Six arraigned in kidnapping of college students | News The defendants convinced a woman to flirt with Ewo on Facebook. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. Kollias was sitting on a couch when the attackers rushed into the room, armed, he said, with knives, baseball bats, pipesand guns. A former Upstate New York studentis speaking out for the first time about the abuse and torture he suffered when abducted in December 2015. Forty hours later, one of the captors decided to let them go when a SWAT team entered the house freeing the pair. They don't even know if it's the right house. Third person pleads guilty in UR kidnapping case. Nine people were accused of roles in the abduction and torture of the two men. "The drug dealers, when they came back, were looking for the people who lived in that apartment, not realizing that it was just being used by somebody else. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. There was no evidence presented at trial that Ani was in any involved in planning or carrying out the kidnapping. "The door gets blown inside," said Peters. 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It's now Sunday night, 9 p.m., almost 40 hours into this kidnapping nightmare. Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, both seniors at the university, were reported missing on Saturday evening under "suspicious circumstances." They were eventually located at a residence. 80 Main Street Suite 380 West Orange, NJ 07052 973.736.1800 [email protected] He also filed a $10 million lawsuit against those convicted in the abduction. "In reality they were saving my life. Samantha Hughes and Leah Gigliotti, the girls who lured the football players to that house of horrors, eventually gave police two addresses. All six suspects are due in court on Friday for a preliminary hearing. "I was the one that got the majority of all of the beating and abuse, and so, you know, it was just not a good experience to have someone who you thought you could trust and just kind of being the complete opposite to you.". "There was always someone, at least one or two individuals that were kind of watching over us," said Nicholas. Authorities have said that UR seniorsAni Okeke Ewo and Nicholas Kolliaswereheld and terrorized for 40 hours before beingrescued by a Rochester police SWAT team. What Is The Use Of Judging Matters Show? Dr. Nikolaos Koutsonikolis, MD | Ocala, FL - Vitals Earlier Monday night, police said they recovered the BMW SUV that they believed the two were traveling in before they were abducted. Privacy Policy | Police haven't yet said how they figured . Im not going to close my eyes. They had roles for individuals. "I only made it about halfway across the room before I felt something like being pressed up to the side of my upper leg, and then the next thing I remember is just being on the ground.". "It was exhausting," said Peters. While one of the kidnappers records, two of the others are seen threatening Ani Okeke Ewo with a hedge-trimmer, and then prodding Nicholas lying on the floor covered in blood. Kollias was with him at the time of the kidnapping. And even though they had nothing to do with the criminal activity, Ewo was mistakenly identified as one of the robbers by a gang. "I didn't think I was going to make it until (that) Monday," Kollias, 23, told theChicago TribuneTuesday. But then Kollias described being jarred by the sound of multiple explosions. Victim opens up about 40 hours of torture by gang - Rolling Out That's when I thought it was all over.". They were instead held against their will, beaten, shot and sexually assaulted over the course of 40 hours. 2023 www.democratandchronicle.com. A SWAT team rescuedKollias and Ewo that Sunday night from a home some four miles from the Rochester college campus. Our focus as a university is on our two students as they recover from their ordeal. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Sadly, Nicholas and Ani are no longer friends. Then the ones who lured the football players into the sadistic trap give up even more. Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, both seniors at the university, were reported missing on Saturday evening under suspicious circumstances. They were eventually located at a residence approximately four miles from campus and were rescued by a SWAT team on Sunday evening. According to the Tribune, the jury was also showna video, shot on a phone by one of the kidnappers, of men in masks with chainsaws, beating and demeaning the victims. It's believed that the first four lured University of Rochester football playerAni Okeke Ewo and former football player Nicholas Kollias to a house on Harvest Street and proceeded to beat them with fists and clubs, demanding their money, credit cards and bank numbers. Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, both University of Rochester football players from Illinois, were lured to a home for what they thought was a Saturday night house party. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Ani Okeke Ewo has never been considered anything other than a victim. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. This then led to gang members plotting revenge and organizing the kidnapping. He says after Isaiah Smith was arrested, a football coach bailed Smith out of jail, then failed to inform the student body of the severity of the crime, all in an attempt to give their star athlete preferential treatment. Getting it right the first time could be the difference between life and death. "It was eerily silent," said Rochester Police Deputy Chief Scott Peters. The gang members arrested were Lydell Strickland, 26, Dennis Perez, 23, Leah Gigliotti, 20, Samantha Hughes, 19, Inalia Rolldan,19, and David Alcaraz-Ubiles. He took an active part in the Macedonian Struggle and would once . YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The earlier robbery allegedly occurredat an off-campus Brooks Landing student apartment building. It's the first time he's spoken publicly about the ordeal that left him hospitalized for 25 days; he still has a rod in his leg and a bullet in his calf 14 months later. "My body was in such bad shape," said Nicholas Kollias. "He was like trying to untie us real fast.". Who is Ani Okeke Ewo And What Happened To Him? Image source: University of Rochester Athletics, Amanda Pflugrad Age, Husband, Career, and Other Facts, Joao Maleck Five Fast Facts About The Rising Star, Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes, Sade is a contributor with a bias on Nigerian stars, Lexie Bigham How He Began, What He Did, How He Died, Jessi Nakles Heres Everything We Know About Her, What Became of Sean Caracena And Cause Of His Death, Simon Jacques Bio, Career Highlights, Cause of Death, Martell Lane: How He Started And How He Died. He also filed a $10 million lawsuit against those convicted in the abduction. "They were having so much enjoyment with it that they started recording it.". On Wednesday, four people were sentenced in the December 2015 abduction and torture of two University of Rochester students, the Washington Post reports. Who is Ani Okeke Ewo And What Happened To Him. Ani Okeke Ewo was abducted along with Nicholas Kollias back in 2015 and tortured in a drug-related revenge attack. University President Joel Seligman issued a statement Monday saying: 'I will, at an appropriate time in the near future, be able to provide more detail about this very serious, but isolated, incident. The ringleader, Lydell Strickland, played a starring role in that video. Something particularly horrible like this, Schwartz told the Chicago Tribune, sometimes its worse than homicide. However, sources told the Fairport-East Rochester Postthat the victims got into a dispute between someone they know and the suspects. , updated Perhaps, had the campus authorities had not ignored Smiths drug dealing due to his talent on the football field, then Ewo and his friend wouldnt have suffered any of the events. Lora and Rolldan face kidnapping and criminal possession of a weapon charges. It turns out the kidnappers got the wrong guys Cops say the target was a completely different University of Rochester football player named Isaiah Smith. However, on Sunday evening there was a huge explosion and flash as the SWAT team burst into the house and rescued the two men. They got us out of the house, got me into an ambulance and off to the hospital.". Six Charged In New York Abduction Of Two College Students - CBS News "Honestly, while they were bathing me, they had other individuals who were cleaning the house and bleaching everything down," said Nicholas. Cops say Isaiah Smith then used that apartment to rob Lydell Strickland and his gang of thugs. Despite his reservations about going off campus to a high-crime area, Kollias decided to tag along and got into a car with the women and Ewo. Also the fact that they had been out of contact with everybody else.". One of them is heard begging for his life. Disfruta de Audible en tu smartphone, tablet, ordenador o Amazon Echo. Rochester Police said a SWAT team rescued the two students at approx at 9:20 p.m. Sunday. That robbery led a group of drug dealers to abduct two other UR football players, Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo, in a case of mistaken identity. And just when they thought their time was up, a miracle occurred. They make their way through the kitchen. "This is a once-in-a-career rescue. The five receive sentences of 13 to 35 years in prison. Two University of Rochester students abducted before being freed by Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Is Our TV Pick Of The Week, Small Town Horror Story: The Racist Attack Of A FedEx Worker. "I knew that it was going to be high-profile and it affected a lot of people in this community personally, so I really wanted to make sure that my best people were on it," said Doorley. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude. TIME AND LOCATION: "They had nicknames. In retaliation, the gang used two female accomplices to trick Ewo into a double date and to bring along Kollias. Rochester Police launch a full investigation, getting search warrants for the boys' phones and Facebook accounts. Growing up in an upscale suburb of Chicago, Nicholas Kollias was the all-American high school kid. "At that point I got up, trying to run for the exit,"Nicholas Kollias, now 22, testified Thursday about the attack that precipitated the hours of torture he and classmate,AniOkekeEwo, were subjected to over a December 2015 weekend. Then Rochester Deputy Chief Scott Peters puts together a plan with the SWAT commander. I didn't want to die and give in to these people.". ", "They said 'Don't worry, they're not gonna be hurt,'" said Peters. At trial, Ani Okeke Ewo and Nicholas "Niko" Kollias testified about how they were duped to go to a city home by two young women who claimed they wanted to party with them. Shooting on Easter: 'It's Heart Wrenching', Suspect in Louisville Shooting Identified as 25-Year-Old Employee Connor Sturgeon: Police, the abduction of two University of Rochester students. Police said Nicholas Kollias, of Northbrook, Illinois, and Ani Okeke Ewo, of Aurora, Illinois, were abducted and held hostage, and one suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. In partnership with Police said Nicholas Kollias, of Northbrook, Illinois, who was shot, and Ani Okeke Ewo,. Aisha Hinds: Age, Family, Career, Is She Gay? He was scared, but throughout the whole ordeal he kind of had this like optimistic view, 'They're going to release us,' but it was hard for me to kind of see that light. She was with her friend and 20-year-old Leah Gigliotti to pick up Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo. 9,99 /mes despus de 30 das. Nicholas Kollias, 21, and Ani Okeke-Ewo, 21, were abducted and reportedly held against their will early Saturday morning. In the moments after Ewo and Kollias arrived, the house went dark and a group of masked men pounced on the pair, binding them in duct tape and taking them into a bathroom. Cancela en cualquier momento. Browse Seminole local obituaries on Legacy.com. Print fond memoriesThis pocket Bluetooth printer lets you print your precious memories before they hit Instagram. Inalia Rolldan, (also known as Sky), 19, gang member; Nicholas Kollias (Nick), 21, student football player (U. of Rochester) and classically trained pianist; Ani Okeke Ewo (Ani), 21, student football player (U. of Rochester). UR abduction case to be featured on 'Evil Talks' cable TV series Lydell Strickland, 26, was sentenced to155 years in prison for planning the attack as well as charges ofrobbery, assault and sex abuse. Despus, 9,99/mes. "My femur was completely broken in half," he said. For 40 hours, Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were tied up in a bedroom in the house at 22 Harvest Street in Rochester.

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