Man gets 5 years in prison for kidnapping woman from Cheektowaga driveway

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man was sentenced to five years in prison for kidnapping a woman out of a driveway on George Urban Boulevard in Cheektowaga in March, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Abel Gebrehawaria, 24, kidnapped the 26-year-old woman in the early morning hours of March 2 as she got out of her car. Gebrehawaria attacked her and dragged her into his vehicle, pushed her into the back seat and drove away.

The woman escaped after she grabbed the steering wheel during a struggle, which caused Gebrehawaria to hit the curb on George Urban. The two did not know each other, but the woman said she was returning home from the bar Lucky Day in Buffalo and that Gebrehawaria followed her home.

After she got out of the car, he sped away and she was able to report the kidnapping to police.

In June, Gebrehawaria pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree kidnapping. A final order of protection was issued on behalf of the woman, which remains in effect until September 2037. He had been facing up to 25 years in prison.

Gebrehawaria will also be subject to five years of post-release supervision once he is out of prison.