Police: Man tried to abduct, drown woman
NEW CANAAN — Police say they are stepping up patrols after a woman who was walking on Valley Road Monday was struck by a car driven by a man who then tried to abduct and drown her in a nearby stream in what has been described as a random incident.
Authorities said Mynor Romeo Alvarado-Canahui, a local restaurant worker who lost his job because of the coronavirus pandemic, stalked the woman, who police said was saved by witnesses who came to her aid.
“This is an extremely serious case,” Stamford State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek told Superior Court Judge Joan Alexander Tuesday afternoon during Alvarado-Canahui ’s arraignment in Bridgeport Superior Court. “The defendant was following a woman who was walking on a roadway, he then proceeded to strike her with his vehicle, causing her head to hit the windshield. He then tried to force her into the backseat of the vehicle as she lay on the roadway injured. They struggled, they ended up rolling down an embankment, he then attempted to drown her.”
Ferencek told the judge the victim probably would have been killed if not for people who passed by and came to help.
Alvarado-Canahui was aided by a Spanish interpreter during the hearing. At one point, the interpreter forgot to translate what was being said and the judge asked the defendant if he understood what was said.
“Of course, I didn’t understand, I don’t speak English,” he said through the interpreter and laughed.
The judge ordered AlvaradoCanahui held in lieu of $750,000 bond.
“But for the witnesses who interrupted this allegation of kidnapping, the court agrees with the state that this could have resulted in a murder,” the judge said.
Alvarado-Canahui is charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault.
“We understand that this incident will cause concern, and as a result, we will intensify our patrols throughout town to reassure our community that New Canaan is a safe town with a very low crime rate,” New Canaan police Lt. Jason Ferraro said. The victim did not know Alvarado-Canahui, he said.
A witness called 911 at about 4:10 p.m. Monday, reporting that a man was trying to drown a woman in a river near Valley Road, police said. Police said the river is in a wooded area not visible from the road.
Officers found the woman sitting on the ground with three people who saw the alleged attempted drowning, police said.
The three witnesses told officers they saw Alvarado-Canahui holding the woman’s head under the water, police said.
According to New Canaan Police, the incident began as the woman was walking south on the northbound side of Valley Road, facing oncoming traffic. The red Honda driven by Alvarado-Canahui passed her several times, she told police. The woman told investigators she thought the driver might be lost, and said she remembered the first two letters of the license plate. Those letters matched the plates on Alvarado-Canahui ’s Civic, police said.
The woman was struck from behind by the vehicle, which crossed the double yellow line and was traveling south in the northbound lane, police said.
The victim’s head hit the windshield, according to police.