Two Men Abducted, Drowned in Philadelphia River, Third Man Escapes, Police Say
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iStock/Thinkstock(PHILADELPHIA) — The bodies of two men, who had been bound, were found Wednesday dumped in a Philadelphia river and a third man was repeatedly stabbed but narrowly escaped the abductors believed to be responsible for the double homicide, police said.
The survivor, a 20-year-old man, was taken off the street by four or five men early Wednesday morning and thrown into the back of a van, police said.
He was then stabbed about nine times, in the torso and legs, Philadelphia police said, and his hands were tied behind his back with duct tape while his ankles were bound as well. Duct tape was also placed over his mouth, and once in the van, he realized there were two other people in the van who had also been bound, police said.
All three were taken to the Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park, where they were thrown into the water, police said, noting that the two other people were tethered to some kind of weight and drowned in five to 10 feet of water.
The 20-year-old was able to get out of the water, even though his legs and arms were still partially bound, and made it to a nearby road where he screamed at passing cars, triggering some drivers to call 911, police said.
The bodies were found just before 4 a.m., police said.
The victim told police he did not know the other two people in the van, nor did he know his kidnappers.
The man is in stable condition at Hahnemann University Hospital, police said.
Police declined to give the location where the man was abducted, but noted there are security cameras in the area and that they hope the abduction was captured on video.
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