FREEHOLD, N.J. — A Monmouth County jury has convicted a 30-year-old Asbury Park man of luring and kidnapping an 11-year-old girl in 2023, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Tuesday.
After an eight-day trial, Raquan Folk was found guilty of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree luring a child, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The verdict follows an incident on May 30, 2023, when Folk persuaded the victim to get into his vehicle while she was walking on Ridge Avenue in Asbury Park.
Authorities say Folk drove the girl to Neptune Township and stopped the vehicle, at which point he told her to disrobe. The victim asked to use the bathroom and used the opportunity to flee the car, flagging down a passerby who took her to the Neptune Township Police Department. Folk was arrested days later and has been held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution since his capture.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Keri-Leigh Schaefer of the Monmouth County Special Victims Bureau, while Folk was represented by attorney Paul Zager. Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, at which time Folk faces up to 30 years in state prison for the kidnapping charge alone.