A New York man living in Mexico is lucky to be alive after being kidnapped by several men and demanding a $200,000 ransom.
The kidnappers taped Joseph Constantin Buonincontri’s eyes, bound his wrists and ankles and left him deep in the jungle in Limones, Mexico, about 200 miles southwest of Cancun.
A rescue operation by the Mexican military and the Mexican National Guard began after local residents alerted police that armed men drove taxis from the popular resort town of Tulum into the remote wilderness.
The 35-year-old New Yorker was found alive but tied up in a straw shack, and authorities recovered a backpack containing marijuana, a tactical vest and an AR-15 magazine, according to the Quintana Roo attorney general’s office. Announced.
Mexican kidnapper targeting American tourists: ‘No norms’ restrain ruthlessness: expert
Mexican prosecutors say Joseph Constantin Buonincontri, 35, was kidnapped by unknown men and left in the Mexican jungle with his eyes taped. (Mexican army)
Buonincontri was found unharmed on February 4, but her abductors have not been identified or arrested, according to local Mexican media and the prosecutor’s office.
A one-and-a-half minute video of the rescue was released. borderlandbeat.com It showed the moment authorities discovered Buonincontri. The website translated the conversation.
The soldier asked me twice if I was okay and if I was hungry or thirsty.
Mexican authorities arrest six people in connection with gruesome Cancun machete murders
Buonincontri reportedly responded by asking him to smoke a cigarette and remove the tape from his eyes.
“I’ve already called the authorities. The prosecutor’s office and the attorney general’s office are here and they’re going to take the blindfold off your eyes,” the soldier said, according to a translation by borderlandbeat.com.
“But are you okay? We are soldiers in the Mexican army. We belong to the 7th Motor Cavalry Regiment. And we are here to help you.”
The Mexican military and the Mexican National Guard, along with local police and investigators from the prosecutor’s office, rescued Joseph Constantin Buonincontri, who was kidnapped in a remote Mexican jungle. (Mexican army)
During the conversation, Buonincontri reportedly told the soldiers that he was from New York and was visiting family in Limones.
The soldier asked him if he remembered what happened and when he was kidnapped.
“No, I don’t remember that day,” Buonincontri said, according to a translation by borderlandnews.com. “I don’t even know what day it is.”
California woman shot dead at Mexican resort popular with Americans
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The video ended there.
The Quintana Roo state general office, the local prosecutor’s office, released a statement about X, saying he was found alive and thanking the Mexican military, National Guard and local police.
