Man arrested in FIU student abduction

Carlos Jose Arana, 42, faces charge of armed kidnapping

MIAMI – Police have arrested a man believed to have abducted a student just outside Florida International University's Modesto A. Maidique campus in Miami.

Carlos Jose Arana, 42, was arrested Monday on a charge of armed kidnapping. Arana has been arrested twice before, once in 1995 for sexual battery on a minor.

The victim told police that she was waiting at a bus stop at Southwest 107th Avenue and 17th Street about 11:30 a.m. Friday when someone approached her in an SUV and forced her inside the vehicle.

"I go to class at that time and like, I could get picked up by anyone -- that's not OK," student Alyssa Autiello said.

According to the incident report, Arana offered the victim a ride to work, which she refused multiple times. The woman told officers that Arana said "I have a knife, get in the car." She said complied out of fear for her life.

The woman also claimed that Arana touched her breast over and under her shirt after she had said no repeatedly.

Police said the man was driving a white 1999 Jeep Cherokee, and said he dropped the woman off a couple of miles from campus at Dolphin Mall where she works. The woman said the driver put his phone number in her phone before dropping her off, and said his name was Oliver.

"I was surprised because we've never had a problem here," another student said.

A similar crime was reported recently at Miami-Dade College's Kendall campus. In that case, a 19-year-old student said she was sitting in her car in a parking garage when an armed man approached her and forced her to drive to an ATM and take out money.

Police said it's unclear whether the two incidents are related.

FIU officials said students and staff were made aware of the incident through their campus alert system.

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About the Authors:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.