KIDNAPPING PLOT FOILED
Cops: Suspect, 76, posed as flower delivery man in bid to snatch victim in Villanova
In what police are calling a bizarre case, a 76- year- old Florida man is behind bars on allegations that he planned on kidnapping someone at a Villanova home on Nov. 7 and hold them for ransom in what was t o begin as a home invasion.
Radnor Police Superintendent Bill Colarulo said John Felder, of Miami, went to a local flower shop and purchased a floral arraignment as part of a plot t o carry out his kidnapping scheme.
“He even had a phony t ag that said ‘ 1800 flowers,’” Colarulo t old reporters during a press conference Wednesday.
But what led t o the arrest of Felder was something as simple as a minor violation.
“One of the pieces of information we had that helped lead t o the suspect was a parking ticket,” Colarulo said. “When Mr. Felder went t o the floral shop t o purchase the arrangement he complained about getting the parking ticket.”
Radnor police then researched tickets that were issued that day and found a link t o Felder through his rental car.
Colarulo said Felder drove t o the home with the flowers in a rented silver minivan and as he handed the flowers over t o the homeowner, “he reached into his pocket, pulled out a Taser and fired the Taser at the homeowner.”
One of the prongs struck the homeowner, who shut the door and called 911. Felder then fled the scene.
“Based on the investigative effor ts by Detective ( Jim) Santoliquito and Detective ( Thomas) Schriver, they were able t o identify a suspect as Mr. Felder. Their effor ts even took them out to the Poconos where the defendant went to a gun show and attempted t o purchase a firearm,” Colarulo said.
Felder had already been found t o be a suspect and with an arrest warrant already out for him, investigators were notified when he attempted t o purchase the firearm.
“We found a ransom note that indicated that Mr. Felder had planned t o kidnap a victim and hold the victim for ransom,” Colarulo said. In the note, he had planned on asking for specified amounts of gold coins because they would be harder t o trace.
Colarulo added that in the driveway of the Villanova home police found duct t ape and flex cuffs. As a result of a search warrant, police also found six cellphones, stolen license plates, night vision equipment, surveillance cameras and other Tasers in Felder’s possession.
Police also reported finding a list of names of other people Felder allegedly planned t o fol- low.
Police say they have been unable t o find any past arrests for Felder and that he had recently had financial trouble and his motive was money. The list of names that Felder compiled is believed by police t o be random people Felder found by using the Internet and websites that list property values. No other Radnor Township residents were on the list.
Felder is being held in the Delaware County prison on $ 175,000 bail.
Wednesday, police went t o the prison t o inter view Felder, by his request, who admitted he planned on kidnapping some- one and holding them for ransom. Felder had also t old police that he rented a cabin in the Poconos in order t o hold the person he had kidnapped. Felder also t old police he did not int end on hurting the person he kidnapped, Colarulo said.
“Things like this are disturbing regardless of where they occur, but in a t own like Radnor Township, this is something that is not really unheard of but is something that will not be tolerated,” Colarulo said. “I’d like t o commend my detectives for good old fashion police work and other t ownship employees by doing their jobs — by writing a parking ticket you never know what it might lead t o.”