What started as a Halloween visit turned into a terrifying ordeal for a Reading woman after police said her ex-boyfriend, distraught over their recent breakup, took her and her child on a high-speed ride against her will on the dark, winding roads of Mount Penn.
City police said the incident began early Friday evening when the ex-boyfriend persuaded the woman to meet him at his residence so he could spend some time with the child and take Halloween photos.
It ended with officers drawing their weapons and stopping the vehicle about a half-mile from the Pagoda, ordering the driver and the woman out of the car.
Jaxiel Galarza-Ortiz, 22, of the 300 block of North 12th Street was taken into custody without incident. He was charged with kidnapping, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats. Police removed the child from the vehicle and reunited him with his mother.
Galarza-Ortiz was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail following arraignment Saturday before District Judge F. Richard Drumheller in Reading Central Court.
According to court records:
The woman told police that she had broken up with Galarza-Ortiz two days earlier, moved out of their shared residence and was staying with a relative elsewhere in the city.
She said Galarza-Ortiz arrived at her residence about 4 p.m. Friday, saying he was on his way home from work. He had been “blowing up” her phone, pleading for a chance to fix their relationship and spend time with the child for Halloween.
She eventually agreed to meet him that evening at his North 12th Street residence. After getting her child ready for trick-or-treating, she arrived there between 7 and 8 p.m.
They spent no more than 20 minutes together before she asked him to drive them home. Galarza-Ortiz said he needed to stop for gas first, but after fueling up at a station on North 13th Street, he drove in the opposite direction of the woman’s sister’s house.
The woman said he began driving on unfamiliar roads at speeds approaching 90 mph while making statements such as, “I will kill us right now,” and swerving into the median, nearly striking another vehicle.
She yelled at him to stop and let her out, but he remained silent and kept driving erratically.
Fearing for her life, the woman secretly called her sister on her cellphone, leaving the line open. Her sister tracked their movements through the call and relayed their location to emergency dispatchers who alerted police.
Using cellphone tower pings, officers determined the vehicle was in the area of Skyline Drive and List Road atop Mount Penn and began searching for it.
Police said Galarza-Ortiz had stopped near the Pagoda to fix a damaged bumper and roll a marijuana cigarette. The woman said she couldn’t escape because the doors were locked and she was being held against her will.
When Galarza-Ortiz got back in and started driving again toward the city, police stopped the car at Shearer and Angora roads and took him into custody.
Where to find help
Call 9-1-1 if you or someone you know are in immediate danger.
To seek the help of an advocate or to contact Safe Berks, call the 24-hour hotline, 844-789-SAFE (7233) or text SAFE BERKS to 20121.
Safe Berks provides free and confidential services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault 24 hours a day. All services are available in English and Spanish, and translation will be used for any other language needed.