Woman accused of kidnapping child from N.J. apartment was a neighbor – NJ.com

A woman accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old boy from a Salem City apartment complex also lived in the apartment community and allegedly took the child while he was playing, according to court records.

Daishaliz Velez Fernandez, 25, was arrested in Delaware on Monday afternoon, about five hours after the abduction from Harvest Point Apartments, located on Grieves Parkway in Salem.

She allegedly took the boy to Pennsylvania before ending up in Delaware, where the child was found in her vehicle and recovered unharmed. Velez Fernandez was arrested at the scene without incident.

An Amber Alert was issued Monday afternoon, shortly before the child was located.

Authorities say Velez Fernandez and the child had no known relationship.

Maintenance staff at Harvest Point reported seeing the child in a car being driven by a woman around 11:30 a.m. Monday, according to Salem County Prosecutor Kristin Telsey.

A guard gate at the entrance to the complex monitors those coming in, Salem Police Chief John Pelura III noted, but no clearance is required as people leave Harvest Point.

Pelura praised the work by apartment complex employees.

“Harvest Point security and staff were instrumental in us locating the vehicle and the abductor,” he said.

Velez Fernandez is accused of taking the child and driving to Pennsylvania, where they visited a Walmart store before heading to Delaware, investigators revealed in a criminal complaint filed in the case.

The child was taken “without the consent of the parent or guardian of the child,” the complaint states.

Exactly how she was able to get to the child remains under investigation, Telsey said.

Police were able to make contact with Velez Fernandez by phone and remained on the phone with her until she was located by Delaware State Police on Route 13 in New Castle around 4:30 p.m. Monday.

She is charged with first-degree kidnapping and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Velez Fernandez remains jailed in Delaware pending extradition to New Jersey.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.