Newton man kidnappedfreed by Missouri police
Abductors snatched the wrong man in case of mistaken identity, By Jennifer Jean Miller Newton, N.J. Questions still surround the motive behind the abduction of a Newton business owner in front of his store by three Missouri men. However, after a journey of nearly 1,100 miles, the victim was rescued and reunited with his family. Police say Jeff Muller, 59, of Frankford, N.J. was purposely, yet mistakenly, targeted in what is unraveling as an extensively planned kidnapping plot. “The outcome of investigative efforts conducted today has led to convincing evidence to conclude that Mr. Jeffrey Muller was the victim of mistaken identity. The individuals arrested for his abduction targeted a completely innocent person,” said Newton Police Chief John Tomasula on Jan. 11. While Muller was opening his J&G Pet Food store at 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 8, he was abducted by Douglas Stangeland, 46, of Nevada, Mo., Andrew David Wadel, 21, of Rich Hill, Mo. and Lonnie Eugene Swarnes, 44, of Rich Hill, Mo. Muller was Tasered then forced into a vehicle by the trio, where his hands and feet were bound. During the car ride to Missouri, Muller suffered facial injuries from multiple assaults and was threatened at gunpoint. Muller’s wife had unsuccessfully tried to reach her husband by phone and later that morning found his shop dark and locked. Muller’s eyeglasses and lunch were lying on the ground by his truck. She called Newton Police, who began a search with canine units from the Hopatcong Police and the New Jersey State Police in the area of Muller’s store. A state police helicopter combed the area while crime scene detectives began piecing together leads late Friday evening into Saturday morning. A break came early Saturday morning when the kidnap vehicle was disabled in the parking lot of a convenience store in Lake Ozark, Mo. Muller, who had plotted an escape, freed his hands and fled. but his captors caught him and began beating him. An employee at the store contacted local police, reporting an assault in the parking lot. Lake Ozark Police rescued Muller and took Stangeland, Wadel and Hill into custody. Muller was taken to the Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach Mo. for medical treatment. Detectives from the Newton Police, Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and N.J. State Police traveled to Missouri to investigate further. Tomasula said investigators cannot comment on the motive, but said Muller did not know his kidnappers. The three men were arrested by Lake Ozark Police and their three handguns were recovered by authorities. They are being held without bail in the Miller County Jail on assault, weapons and drug charges filed by Lake Ozark Police. Kidnapping charges have been filed in New Jersey. Tomasula said details of the kidnappers’ extradition back to the state are not complete. Missouri authorities and the United States Attorney’s office are also investigating. Tomasula described the victim as “emotional” when he was reunited with his family on Sunday night. Muller and his store remain heavily guarded by Newton and state police. Employees at J&G Pet Foods refused requests for comment. According to Tomasula, the last kidnapping of an adult in Newton took place in the late 1980s. Anyone with information regarding the case is requested to contact the Newton Police Department at 973-383-2525 or the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-383-1570.