A cryptocurrency investor has been arrested and charged in New York City after allegedly torturing a man for weeks in an attempt to obtain access to cryptocurrency assets. The suspect, 37-year-old John Woeltz of Kentucky, was taken into custody on Friday following a dramatic escape by the alleged victim from a residence in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.
According to the New York Police Department, a 28-year-old man approached an officer and claimed he had been held captive and subjected to prolonged torture. Investigations suggest that Woeltz lured the man, reportedly a former business associate, to the location on May 6, where he allegedly confiscated the man’s passport and restrained him using electric cords.
Multiple media reports state the victim endured extreme abuse during the captivity, including forced drug use, physical assaults with a pistol, tasering while submerged in water, and threats involving an electric chainsaw. The victim was subsequently hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
Woeltz was arrested at the residence while wearing a bathrobe and was later seen leaving the precinct in a white T-shirt. A 24-year-old woman is also reported to have been detained in connection with the case, though police have not confirmed her involvement or identity.
The NYPD has charged Woeltz with first-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, second-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. He appeared in court on Saturday, where a judge ordered that he be held without bail.