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Two people were arrested in New York City on Friday for the kidnapping and torture of a tourist from Italy, according to police. John Woeltz, 37, was barefoot and dressed in a white bathrobe as he was escorted by NYPD officers down the steps of a home at 38 Prince St. in SoHo. He was questioned at the 5th Precinct and later charged with two counts of second-degree assault, and one count each of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and criminal possession of a was ordered to stay behind bars and to surrender his on Saturday announced a second person was arrested in the case. Beatrice Folchi, 24, of Manhattan, was charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. Police did not provide any information about her relationship to Woeltz or role in the alleged Woeltz's arraignment, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office issued a statement saying it declined to prosecute Folchi at the time "pending further investigation."Photos show victim tied up and tortured, source saysThe NYPD says the victim arrived in New York from Italy on May 6 and then went to the suspect's home in SoHo. Police sources say at some point he was tied up and then tortured for as long as three weeks. The victim managed to escape on Friday and flagged down a nearby traffic agent, who called police.A source close to the investigation said officers went inside the residence to ensure there were no other victims. There, they found numerous Polaroid photos of the victim tied up and say they also found in plain view a firearm and multiple items used for motive for the alleged attack is still unclear. Investigators say there were two butlers at the residence who would also be interviewed.A witness said it was a very chaotic crime scene."We saw police running this way and then there was just a lot of screaming," Molli Sramowicz said. "Police with their guns out, then the SWAT team came in, then a fire truck."Suspect said to be crypto investorWoeltz is a crypto investor originally from Kentucky who rents an apartment in the home for between $30,000 and $40,000 per residents said they were perplexed by the alleged attack."He didn't look distressed at all, but that could've been because he was on the street," Cairan Tully said."I just can't believe stuff like this would happen in 2025 in New York of all place. This is our borough, our neighborhood. We just have to ... we have to be careful," added Kareem Hakemy of Midtown.
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