CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — The Cheektowaga Police Department said an 18-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with two separate carjacking and kidnapping incidents.
Police said the alleged suspect Josue Lubala, was arrested and is facing charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree attempted robbery, second-degree kidnapping, two counts of second-degree menacing, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Police also said that Lubala was arrested in June of 2022 for an armed carjacking in Cheektowaga.
Lubala was arraigned Thursday morning in Cheektowaga Town Court. He is being held without bail and will return to court on Tuesday morning.
“This is a dangerous individual who was taken off the streets twice in three months for carjacking people, and we hope that the criminal justice system and the prosecutors are able to do what needs to be done to keep our community safe,” said Cheektowaga police chief Brian Gould.
According to the news release, a woman reported being abducted at knifepoint on Tuesday morning in the Town Park parking lot closest to the library at Harlem Road and Greenleaf Lane.
Cheektowaga Police were called by Buffalo Police and were informed that a woman had reported being kidnapped in Town Park and was driven to the city.
Officers then traveled to Broadway and Wick Street to talk with the victim. The 38-year-old woman said that she was babysitting a friend’s 2-year-old child, and around 11 a.m., as she was about to drive away and leave the park for the day, she was approached by a man she had seen in the park earlier.
The suspect allegedly opened her car door and while showing her a knife, ordered the woman to the passenger seat, then drove away with the woman and child in the car.
The car was driven by the suspect to Wick Street in Buffalo where the man allowed the woman and child to gather their belongings before he pulled away, he gave the woman $5 for the bus.
As police investigated, less than 24 hours later around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Cheektowaga Police got a call of another possible carjacking happening in the parking lot of the Alexander Community Center at town park.
When police got to the scene, they said another female victim reported a man matching the same description from Tuesday had got into the driver seat of the running car she was seated in.
The 29-year-old woman also said that she was ordered at knifepoint to stay in the car but told police that she pulled the keys from the ignition, jumped out of the car, and ran toward the building.
“The male got into the vehicle, and he displayed a knife,” Gould said.
“He threatened a female told her that he would cut her throat. The female, at this point, made the decision that she was going to try to flee to get out of the car.”
The suspect then jumped out of the car and ran southbound up Alexander Avenue.
Police said a bystander witnessed what happened and called 911.
Several officers went sent out to look for the suspect and Patrol Sergeant David Vogel spotted the suspect. He then ran but police were able to catch up with him in a yard off Walden Avenue, and the alleged suspect was taken into custody.
Despite the repeat offenses by Lubala, Gould said Western New Yorkers shouldn’t worry, as these crimes happen rather infrequently.
“Carjackings are very rare,” Gould said. “I believe to the best of my knowledge right now that these are the only three that we've had this year.”
Lubala is being held at the police headquarters in Cheektowaga ahead of his arraignment Thursday morning.