Man Charged With Attempted Kidnapping Of Woman In Bayamón

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Darrel Meléndez-Rivera with an attempted kidnapping of a woman in Bayamón, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. 

According to the Government’s allegations, in July 2020, a couple withdrew money from a Banco Popular on Chardón Avenue in San Juan.  They then went to a restaurant in Bayamón.  After they finished eating, the woman walked to a car, while her husband was paying the bill.  Meléndez-Rivera grabbed the woman and tried to push her into a van.  She resisted and fell to the ground, screaming for help.  Meléndez-Rivera then grabbed the woman’s purse.  The van ran over one of the woman’s legs before driving away. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanette Collazo of the Violent Crimes and National Security Section is in charge of the prosecution of the case.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation is in charge of the investigation.  If convicted, the defendant faces a sentence of up to twenty years in prison.    

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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