Man admits abducting N.J. business owner, demanding ransom from his family

One of two men who kidnapped a business owner in New Jersey and drove him across state lines in a U-Haul truck pleaded guilty to federal charges on Monday.

Reginald Law, 38, of Queens, New York, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and Hobbs Act robbery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey said in a news release.

Law and his accomplice Maurice Cottman entered the Easter Grocery and Food Market in Paterson on Oct. 8, 2020, assaulted the 70-year-old owner with a gun and forced him into the back of a U-Haul truck, according to the criminal complaint.

The duo then drove him to New York City, where they kept him in the back of the moving truck on a city street while they repeatedly called his family to demand ransom money for his release, federal authorities said.

Later that day, police in the Harlem section of Manhattan spotted the truck and attempted to conduct a motor vehicle stop. A pursuit ensued before the truck crashed and the men attempted to flee on foot, federal prosecutors said.

Cottman was apprehended by NYPD officers, but Law managed to get away and was a fugitive for more than seven months until he was captured by FBI agents, officials said.

The victim suffered serious bodily injuries as a result of the assault, authorities said.

Cottman pleaded guilty to kidnapping and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison with five years of supervised release.

Law’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2025.