Florida Man Calls 911 After Hearing Wife Being Kidnapped on Bluetooth Device, Officials Say
The suspect is in custody and has not yet entered a plea.
-- A South Florida man recently helped save his wife's life by calling 911 after he heard her being kidnapped at gunpoint through the Bluetooth earpiece she had on at the time, according to officials.
The harrowing incident happened this past Tuesday when 49-year-old Priscilla Cercone was sitting in her car in front of her Hollywood, Florida, home, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by ABC News.
Cercone had just picked up the mail and was talking to her husband via the Bluetooth device when a 21-year-old man -- later identified by authorities as Bernard Owens -- suddenly approached Cercone, pointed a handgun at her and "ordered her to open the back door of her car or he would kill her," the affidavit states. Cercone "feared for her life," so she opened the door for Owens, who then ordered her to start driving, according to the affidavit.
Owens pointed the handgun at Cercone's head while she was driving and demanded that she take him to an ATM after she told him she did not have any money on her, according to the affidavit.
Cercone's husband was still on the phone with her via the Bluetooth device and tried to ask what was happening, the affidavit states, but Cercone was "too fearful" to respond, and Owens eventually took her cellphone from her.
Having heard the exchange, Cercone's husband called 911, ABC affiliate WPLG reported.
Meanwhile, Cercone drove to a nearby bank and withdrew $400, which she gave to Owens, who then demanded she drive back to her house, according to the affidavit. As they were driving, Owens then demanded to know what valuables she had at home and who was inside, according to the affidavit.
Thanks to the 911 call Cercone's husband had made, police were already at her home by the time she got there, according to the affidavit. When Cercone spotted them, she jumped out of her moving vehicle, the affidavit states.
Owens also jumped out and tried to run from police, but he was eventually caught and arrested, police said. One officer located a firearm that a witness told police Owens had tossed while trying to run away, according to the affidavit. Bernard's money and cellphone were also located on him.
Owens has been charged with robbery with a firearm, possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted Florida felon, false imprisonment of an adult, and kidnapping with intent to commit or facilitate commission of a felony, according to online court records for Broward County in Florida. Owens has been booked into Broward County Jail with no bond.
A county court spokeswoman told ABC News today that Owens has not yet obtained an attorney and that he has not yet entered a plea to the charges against him.
Cercone did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests today for additional comment.