Woman reports abduction at Niles gas station to police
A 37-year-old woman told police on Sept. 15 that was abducted by a 43-year-old man at a Niles gas station and taken to a southeast Warren location where she had escaped him.
The woman, once free, made the report later the afternoon Sept. 15 at the Niles police station.
He said the man first wanted the woman to get in the car at the West Park Avenue location and when she refused, he grabbed her by the throat, the report stated and threw her inside the vehicle, which was described as a silver Jetta, reports indicated. The woman said she could not scream because the man had a hold of her throat which caused her to “almost lose her breath.”
How did the woman escape?
The man drove her to Warren via Warren Avenue. When the car reached Burton Street SE, the woman jumped out and ran to hide at a scrap yard located near the bike path, the report stated. She managed to get a ride back to her home from another woman, the report stated.
The police officer who took the report noted that the woman had redness and bruises to her throat and neck area. The report was also forwarded to Warren Police Department.
The woman identified her assailant as a 43-year-old Johnson Plank Road, Bazetta man who is facing charges of kidnapping and strangulation. A warrant for the man’s arrest was issued by Niles Municipal Court. Records show the man, identified as Steven O’Hara, called the court and threatened to kill himself.
What police know about the investigation?
A police officer from Bazetta Townshp was dispatched to the Johnson Plan Road address, but O’Hara was not found there. As of Sept. 19, O’Hara is still reported to be on the lam.
In July, Trumbull County 911 records show the same woman called from a Kings Drive, Newton Township residence reporting that a man, identified as O’Hara, was her roommate and had pushed her because he was irate. The woman told dispatchers that she had told the man to move out of the home.
Officers responded to the call, but found no signs of violence at that time.
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This story was originally published September 22, 2023 at 2:34 PM.