Cross Country Kidnapping Suspect May Have Victimized Others, Woman Says

A man accused of abusing a woman and holding her captive for nearly a year before she escaped in New Jersey may have also victimized others, according to a hiker who believes she once encountered the suspect. 

James Parrillo Jr., 57, was arrested on February 7 after the woman he was holding captive escaped from the New Jersey home they shared and fled to a nearby gas station, investigators said. He is charged with kidnapping, strangulation, aggravated assault and criminal restraint. 

Investigators said the victim met Parrillo – who she knew at the time as “Brett Parker" – at a gas station on Interstate 10 in New Mexico in February 2022 and she agreed to give him a ride to Arizona. The woman told police the two were in a relationship for about a month when he physically assaulted her. At that point she felt unable to leave, according to investigators. 

Parrillo took away the woman’s phone, confiscated and used her debit cards and isolated her from her family, police said. 

In December, Parrillo and the woman arrived in New Jersey where he held her against her will, investigators said. In January, the two stayed in a rented room with other people in Bass River Township, according to police. At one point, the woman noticed an interior deadbolt on the door of a nearby gas station they had visited and she began to plan her escape, investigators said. 

The woman said Parrillo began beating and choking her during an argument inside the home on February 7 but stopped once he realized other people were inside. The woman then ran outside the house with nothing but shorts and a shirt on while temperatures were in the low 40’s, according to investigators. 

The woman reached the gas station, bolted the door and told the attendant she had been kidnapped for about a year. Surveillance footage shows Parrillo following the woman to the gas station, trying to open the door and then leaving when he realized it was locked, police said. A gas station attendant then notified New Jersey State Police who arrested Parrillo a short time later as he walked down County Road 542.

Parrillo was detained at the Burlington County Jail. Assistant New Jersey Attorney General Theresa Hilton said information provided by the woman along with information found on social media and other websites indicated that Parrillo may have victimized other people in other states.

Sara Dhooma, a West Coast hiker, World traveler and blogger, told NBC10 those possible victims may have included one of her friends. 

“It’s a scene from a horror movie,” Dhooma told NBC10 as she viewed the video of the woman escaping. “The worst horror movie you could ever imagine because this is real life and this is a real human being that’s escaping from a monster.” 

In a video posted in 2019, Dhooma warned her fellow hikers about a man who she met on the trail system named “Medic” whom she described as “pure evil.” 

“When I met James, his eyes seemed very blank and dead,” Dhooma said. “It felt like he just kind of stared straight through me.” 

Dhooma now believes Parrillo is that same man and that he conned and abused one of her friends on the Pacific Crest trail in California. 

“He held her financially, taking away her access to money,” Dhooma said. “Held her away from the family and he was also torturing and beating her.” 

Dhooma said she received some negative feedback when she initially posted the video about “Medic.” 

“A lot of people thought I was being alarmist and I was dragging, potentially, a good man through the mud,” she said. “I want to say, look what happened. I was right. He’s evil. I knew it from the start.”

Dhooma also said other hikers contacted her who confirmed her allegations. 

“People started reaching out to me with sightings of him. I talked to a number of people from the hiking community who had assisted him, giving him rides, letting him stay at their house and they were frightened,” Dhooma said. 

At the time Dhooma alerted authorities but said the charges and jail time never seemed to stick. 

“Police picked up James and he was only detained for a very short time on an unrelated misdemeanor,” she said. 

Dhooma now fears more victims are out there. 

“There’s a number of hikers that have not been found and he was spotted in those areas,” she said. 

As officials continue to investigate Parrillo, Dhooma had a message for the woman who police say escaped his abuse. 

“You survived,” Dhooma said. “James Parrillo is pure evil incarnate and you survived. You made it through. Everything else in your life is going to be easier. You’ve done the hardest part. You are responsible, hopefully now, for putting away this guy for good.” 

If you or someone you know has additional information on Parrillo, please call New Jersey State Police at 855-363-6548.

“Knowledge is power,” Dhooma said. “Everyone come forward with any interaction they may have had with James. I think police are listening now and we can get a strong conviction.” 

Parrillo will appear before a Burlington County judge on March 29. NBC10 has not yet received confirmation on whether he was assigned a public defender or has otherwise hired an attorney. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.