An ASU pre-business freshman, who was missing for five days, was found uninjured Thursday, after being allegedly abducted last week and held against his will, according to an ASU police report.
One kidnapping suspect had been taken into custody by Phoenix police as of Tuesday.
Jacob Bright, 18, who was reported missing on Sept. 11 by his mother, told Phoenix police he was held captive, transported to and from several motel rooms, forced to take $4,000 out of his bank accounts, and purchase drugs by men who threatened his life.
Bright said the day he was abducted, Sept. 7, he was walking back to his car in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart on 37th Street and Thomas Road, when a man who identified himself as "Gino" approached him, asking for a ride.
Bright, a native of South Bend, Ind., agreed to give the man a ride in his a 2002 GMC Sonoma.
"I had given two people change earlier, and I thought it would be the nice thing to do," said the soft-spoken Bright.
Bright said he had only been living in the Valley since the beginning of the ASU fall semester, and was unfamiliar with the area.
Bright said he was then directed to an alley where he was confronted with another man who identified himself as "Moe." The two men claimed to have guns and informed Bright he was being robbed.
Gino then took control of the car and Bright was forced to ride along, according to Bright.
Bright said he made one attempt to contact the police Monday morning from a motel room while the captors left him alone for a few moments.
"I remember saying these exact words, 'I'm at the Travel Lodge Airport Room #120, please hurry,' and hung up because I figured that was all the information they needed," Bright said. He said his captors left with him before he was able to see the results of the call.
During the time he was being held, Bright said he never saw a gun.
"They said they had guns, but I never saw them," Bright said. "They said if they had to take them out they would have to shoot me."
A woman, who identified herself only as Rachel, called ASU police Wednesday to report that Bright was bound, drugged and being held against his will, according to an ASU police report.
Rachel told police that she believed the captors were using his credit cards to pay for different hotel rooms.
An ASU officer then relayed the information to Phoenix police.
Phoenix detectives were still investigating and not able to comment on the case.
Bright also said over the course of the next few days he was driven to various locations throughout the Valley to max out both his debit and credit cards. When the cards would no longer work in ATMs, Bright said he was brought to the same Wal-Mart he was originally abducted from to make purchases ranging from DVD-players and Playstation 2s.
Gino and Moe spent the money on, and exchanged the merchandise for, what appeared to be cocaine and crack, which they also forced him to use, said Bright.
He said the night of Sept. 8 his captors took him to a trailer, where he allegedly overhead people talking about exchanging money for his death.
"After that night…I knew I was going to heaven," he said. "I wasn't worried about dying anymore. It had to be the worst night of my life."
Bright said the charade ended when the group was pulled over by police at 3 a.m. on Thursday, while driving around in Phoenix.
The officer asked who Bright was and if he was being held against his will and he said, "yes," according to Bright.
"The best thing I heard was handcuffs going on Gino's wrists," he said. "Every part of me wants to see justice served. I hope he goes to jail for a long time."
Bright went back to classes and work at his library job on Monday.
"I hope and pray he will be able to hang in there and not let anything get in his way," said Bright's mother, Sandy Orem.
Bright said he is now spending time trying to get his life on track and was happy to at least have his truck back.
"It's hard to believe it actually happened," Bright said. "It's kind of surreal. It just feels like a nightmare."
Reach the reporter at christina.viloria@asu.edu.
