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Wayne PD: Carjacked Driver Endures Night Of Terror From Released Ex-Con

WANYE, N.J. -- An ex-con wearing an ankle bracelet while awaiting trial in an Elmwood Park armed robbery carjacked a night school student at the Wayne McDonalds drive-thru, then forced him to drive around Paterson for nearly six hours, having the victim pull money from his ATM so he could buy drugs and pick up hookers, authorities charged.

Travis Mann

Travis Mann

Photo Credit: COURTESY: Wayne PD

Taravis Mann -- who was freed under New Jersey's new bail reform law -- approached the Passaic County Tech student at the Hamburg Turnpike McDonalds around 9 p.m. Friday and asked if he could use his phone to call his family, Capt. Laurence Martin said.

He then got into the victim's truck and threatened to hurt him if he didn't drive him to Paterson to buy drugs, Martin said.

Mann, 35 -- who was shot by an off-duty police officer in Paterson last year -- "was acting violently and extremely irrational smoking or ingesting suspect K2," a synthetic form of marijuana, the captain said.

He then forced the victim to withdraw $190 in two separate ATM transactions and had him drive around the city "while he purchased crack cocaine, smoked crack cocaine, and solicited the services of several prostitutes," Martin said.

The victim said he feared for his life but that Mann eventually had him drive to Wanaque -- where the man broke loose and had a 7Eleven manager dial 911 around 3 a.m.

Wanaque Police Officer Bellafamini responded and struggled with Mann before subduing him and taking him into custody.

Mann was out on a ankle bracelet release program after authorities charged him with robbing an Elmwood Park Walgreens on Feb. 24 -- "and proudly displayed his ankle bracelet to the victim" during the evening, Martin said.

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ALSO SEE: Police Shooting Victim Charged With Robbing Elmwood Park Walgreens

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At Wanaque police headquarters, Mann threatened police officers before their Wayne colleagues arrived and took custody of him, the captain said.

He continued "acting irrational and violent" in holding cells before finally being taken to the Passaic County Jail, he said.

"The victim was unharmed physically but emotionally distraught," Martin said.

Police charged Mann with carjacking, kidnapping, making terroristic threats, hindering and failing to surrender drugs to law enforcement officers, among other charges.

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