London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 22, 2026

NYC woman accused of holding online ‘date’ hostage for $100K in twisted kidnapping, torture scheme

NYC woman accused of holding online ‘date’ hostage for $100K in twisted kidnapping, torture scheme

Valerie Rosario, 22, is facing charges of kidnapping and attempted murder after allegedly luring the man she met on Instagram.

Late one night last month, a 24-year-old man headed to a Bronx apartment — believing he was about to hook up with a pretty brunette he’d met on Instagram.

It turned out to be a honeytrap that nearly cost him his life.

Valerie Rosario allegedly helped kidnap and tortured a man she met on Instagram.


The woman he’d been chatting to was actually part of a group of sadists — who spent hours torturing the kidnapped man, even stabbing him while demanding $100,000 in ransom on a FaceTime call to his horrified brother, Manhattan prosecutors allege.

When police found the victim some 24 hours later, he was tied up and gagged in the back of a van — barely clinging to life.

The beauty who allegedly lured him, Valerie Rosario, 22, is now facing charges of kidnapping and attempted murder over the sick scheme, it was revealed in court last week.

Prosecutors say the Lower East Side con woman allegedly coaxed the “complete stranger” to an address on Marble Hill Avenue in The Bronx on Feb. 7 after they connected on Instagram.

The Manhattan apartment where Rosario lives.

The door to Rosario’s apartment.

He arrived at around 1 a.m. — and that’s when the twisted torture session began, according to a criminal complaint.

Three men barged into the apartment, with one of them pistol-whipping the victim, the court document said.

Rosario and the accomplices then allegedly stripped the victim “placed him in a bathtub, poured flammable substances on him, and burned him with a flame” all over his body, the charging document states.

They also tormented him with a knife, striking him “about the legs, back and body,” according to the court doc.

Sources said the sickos allegedly lured the victim to the apartment because they were driven by the money he flashed on his Instagram account.

“After multiple hours of torture,” the kidnappers moved their victim to a different location, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Kluger said at Rosario’s arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday.

Rosario was charged with kidnapping and attempted murder over the scheme.


Later that afternoon, the man’s brother got a grisly FaceTime call — and watched as his sibling was cut with a knife by one of the masked kidnappers as they demanded ransom, the complaint alleges.

“Give us one hundred thousand dollars or we will kill him,” they told his brother, according to the court doc.

Police officers were able to track down one of the alleged accomplices, Javier Vargas, outside an address in Queens, where he was sitting in a van with a knife, the court papers said.

The victim was found laying in the back of the van, “unconscious, wrapped in a blanket with tape covering his mouth,” the complaint stated.

He was “barely breathing,” Kluger said.

The victim was treated at a hospital for multiple burns and stab wounds to his face, body, back and legs, according to the complaint.

At her court appearance last week, Rosario wore a ratty “Tom and Jerry” top — a far cry from the tight dress and plunging gown she can be seen posing in on her Facebook page.

Kluger requested she be held without bail, noting that she stands accused of abducting a “complete stranger” and had allegedly “tortured him for 24 hours.”

Rosario and the other suspects allegedly asked the victim’s brother for $100,000 or they would kill him.


Defense attorney Raymond Loving asked that his client be released on her own recognizance, pointing out that Rosario lives with her mom and brother and has a full time job at a dentist office.

Judge Soma Syed cited the seriousness of the charges as she remanded Rosario into custody. The case is expected to be presented before a grand jury on Tuesday.

“Ms. Rosario denies all the allegations that have been leveled against her,” Loving said in a statement on Monday.

Both Vargas and another of the alleged kidnappers were also remanded after being arrested and charged last week.

Comments

Oh ya 4 year ago
2 things. Flashing money or other expenses stuff is not a good idea and not good happens after midnight

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Taxpayer Support Grows for Higher Digital Levies on Multinational Tech Companies
Bank of England Signals Caution Over Inflation Despite Easing Energy Prices
Lloyds Banking Group Expands Artificial Intelligence Hiring Amid Sector-Wide Automation Shift
Film Producer Corporate Collapse Leaves Creditors Facing Unrecoverable Losses
UK Ten-Year Brexit Anniversary Highlights Ongoing Political and Economic Uncertainty
Nottingham Maternity Scandal Inquiry Reveals Systemic Failings in NHS Care
Met Office Heatwave Prompts Public Health Warnings Across United Kingdom
Concerns Rise Over Fiscal Stability as Political Uncertainty Weighs on UK Borrowing Costs
UK Taxpayers Back Higher Digital Taxes on Global Technology Firms, Survey Shows
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates Steady Amid Persistent Services Inflation
Reform UK and Opposition Leaders Call for General Election Following Starmer’s Departure
Ten Years After Brexit Referendum, UK Faces Ongoing Political Fragmentation and Economic Debate
Nottingham University Hospitals Maternity Inquiry Exposes Severe NHS Failures
Met Office Issues Heat Health Alerts as United Kingdom Faces Record-Breaking Temperatures
Andy Burnham Emerges as Front-Runner for Labour Leadership After Starmer’s Resignation
Keir Starmer Resigns as UK Enters New Phase of Political Leadership Transition
UK Expands Alcohol Ban Enforcement Using Tagging Technology Ahead of World Cup
UK Invests £50 Million in Critical Minerals Supply Chain Security
UK Appoints Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
UK Introduces Fines for Landlords of Unsafe Rental Properties
Reform UK Leads Opinion Polls as Immigration Debate Reshapes UK Politics
Police Investigate Edinburgh Attacks as Potential Hate Crimes
King Charles to Publish Personal Tax and Royal Household Financial Records
Nottingham University Hospitals Maternity Inquiry Report Set for Publication
Heat-Health Alerts Issued Across London and Southern England Amid Rising Temperatures
UK Economy Shows Pressure From Middle East Conflict Despite Modest Growth
Brexit Anniversary Reignites Debate Over UK Economic and Political Direction
UK Parliament Continues Legislative Work Amid Leadership Transition
Financial Markets Hold Steady After UK Leadership Shake-Up
Andy Burnham Enters Labour Leadership Race With Strong Parliamentary Backing
Keir Starmer Resigns as UK Prime Minister After Two Years in Office
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson to Raise Pension Concerns Over British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme
UK Parliament to Debate Newborn Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Following Public Petition
Met Office Warns of Water Safety Risks During Heatwave as Temperatures Peak in England
Treasury Increases Mileage Allowance Payments for 2026–27 Tax Year to 55 Pence Per Mile
UK Government Raises Electricity Generator Levy to 55 Percent in New Revenue Measure
House of Lords Moves Financial Services and Markets Bill to Committee Stage Amid Regulatory Scrutiny
Westminster Hall to Debate Petition on Pro-Israel Influence in UK Politics
UK Parliament Prepares for Estimates Days Debates as Backbench Business Schedule Approved
Armed Forces Bill Nears Final Stages in UK House of Commons With Military Justice Reforms
Donald Trump Comments on UK Political Situation, Citing Immigration and Energy Policy Concerns
Andy Burnham By-Election Victory Fuels Speculation Over Potential Labour Leadership Contest
UK Economy Shows Resilience but Faces Headwinds from Middle East Tensions, UK Finance Says
UK Parliament Opens Week of Debates on Net Zero, Security and Armed Forces Reform
Met Office Issues Amber Extreme Heat Warning as Temperatures Expected to Reach 35C Across England and Wales
Prime Minister Keir Starmer Faces Mounting Leadership Pressure After Makerfield By-Election Defeat
London Hotel Wins World’s Best Afternoon Tea Award at International Hospitality Guide La Liste
Court of Appeal Rules in Favour of Competition and Markets Authority in Phenytoin Drug Case
Chichester Waste Site Suspended After Environment Agency Finds Serious Fire and Pollution Risks
UK Appoints Chris Elmore as Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
×