A Riverside man was arrested after allegedly posing as an Amazon employer and kidnapping a 19-year-old woman he met through social media, police announced Thursday.
Aaron Misael Viteri Vera was accused of using a mobile phone application to contact the victim, who was on the app looking for employment, a news release from the Chino Hills Police Department stated.
Viteri Vera, 22, falsely represented himself as an employer for Amazon to her, according to police.
Using the screen name “Jay Delgado,” the suspect messaged the victim for weeks regarding possible employment at an Amazon warehouse.
The two had set up a lunch meeting at a Subway for Feb. 26, but when the time came to finally meet in person, Viteri Vera told her he didn’t want to go to the restaurant and offered to drive her to Wendy’s instead.
A short time after the victim got into his car, Viteri Vera allegedly took her phone soon. The woman then realized they were driving in a direction away from the Wendy’s and became alarmed, the release said.
A brief struggle ensued inside the car, but eventually the victim was able to open the door and jump out of the vehicle. She immediately alerted authorities.
Viteri Vera was arrested at his residence and booked at the West Valley Detention Center on multiple charges, including kidnapping, according to police officials.
During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that the suspect had profiles on multiple social media sites, along with documents with the names of other women, prompting concern that there may be more victims.
Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the Chino Hills Police Department at 909-364-2000.