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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
