The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Police: Yale officers, both new fathers, save kidnapped baby
For the two Yale police officers who found a stolen car Monday night with a 6-month-old inside, the reported kidnapping made them think of their own children.
“We are both new fathers, you know, it hits home a little more,” said Officer Maurice Staggers, who was on patrol with fellow officer Otilio Green when the call came in.
Hamden police credited the swift work of the officers in capturing the suspect and ensuring the baby’s safety.
Hamden police said the car was stolen around 4:15 p.m Monday when the driver went into a store at Dixwell Avenue and Woodin Street. The keys and the baby were left in the car, and the suspect got in and took off south on Dixwell Avenue, police said.
A call went out to police across the New Haven area, alerting them to the vehicle. As authorities prepared an Amber Alert, a nationwide notice issued when a child is abducted, officers searched for the stolen vehicle.
Green and Staggers, patrolling near campus, heard the report from dispatch.
“In turn, all of our officers just started patrolling our areas of our responsibility, looking for cars that matched that description,” Staggers said in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media.
All of the officers on patrol felt the urgency to find the car and get the baby to safety.
“I believe it was a time-sensitive matter. We really needed to find this car. We didn’t know what was going to happen if he was going to drop the baby off on the street and it’s cold,” Green said.
While at a stoplight, Green said Staggers spotted a car that matched the description, spun around and followed it. They lost sight of it briefly before Staggers saw it pull into a gas station at 1 Whalley Ave. around 5:30 p.m. Monday.
The suspect got out of the car as the officers pulled in.
Green quickly took the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Richardson Wong-Aponte, into custody as Staggers rushed for the baby.
“The situation went quickly, but we were happy that it was uneventful,” Green said. “We were able to take him into custody without it spiraling out of control.”
Officials have credited the quick and calm resolution, in part, to strong partnerships between departments.
“We have a good working relationship with other jurisdictions. We are here to keep people safe,” Staggers said.
Yale’s Assistant Police Chief Steven D. Woznyk lauded the work of his officers.
“Officers Otilio Green and Maurice Staggers should be commended for their actions. Acting on information received from the Hamden Police Department, their vigilance and quick action helped bring this particular incident to a safe resolution and we cannot thank them enough,” Woznyk said.
While Yale police typically focus their efforts on the university, Green and Staggers said it comes down to making sure everyone is safe.
“This particular incident is reflective of the extraordinary work that police officers do day in and day out and it also certainly highlights the importance of information sharing and strong collaborative efforts among our other law enforcement partners,” Woznyk said.
Hamden police charged WongAponte with second-degree kidnapping, risk of injury to a minor and third-degree larceny. He was held in lieu of $250,000 bond. Wong-Aponte, authorities said, was also wanted for crimes in West Haven, Orange and Milford.
Hamden police said the baby was safe and not harmed during the kidnapping.
When asked if they held their children closer when they finished their shift, the Yale officers said: “Of course, absolutely.”