U.S. Marshals Recover Abducted 7-Month-Old, Arrest Suspect

Philadelphia, PA — This morning, members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and Deputy Marshals from Philadelphia, recovered a 7-month old child abducted from Vineland New Jersey. The child was in the company of her father, Ramon Rivera, 22, who was arrested for kidnapping and aggravated assault in relation to an incident which occurred the previous night in Vineland, New Jersey.

At approximately 5am this morning, investigators from U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Forces in New Jersey and Philadelphia, established surveillance at a residence in Chester Pennsylvania where they believed the abducted child may be located. At approximately 7:15am, investigators observed the child and some other unidentified adults enter a vehicle and head over the Commodore Barry Bridge. A felony traffic stop was conducted by the Marshals and the New Jersey State Police and the child was recovered and Ramon Rivera was arrested without incident.

This arrest and recovery was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Marshal Service, the New Jersey State Police, and the Vineland Police Department. Eric Gartner, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, stated “The rapid multi-agency response across two states to safely find an abducted 7-month-old child, underscores the extraordinary priority given to cases involving children.”

The Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force is a team of law enforcement officers led by U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest violent crime fugitives. Membership agencies include the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania State Parole Officers, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General Agents, Chester Police Department, and Bucks County Sheriffs.