Rochester Students: Kidnapped, Why?

In December 2015, University of Rochester students Nicholas Niko Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were abducted and tortured. The two football players were lured to a house party by two young women and were held captive for 40 hours before being rescued by a SWAT team. The incident was a case of mistaken identity, as the perpetrators were actually targeting another student, Isaiah Smith, who they believed had stolen drugs and money from them. Following the kidnapping, Kollias filed a lawsuit against the university, accusing them of negligence and engaging in a cover-up. The lawsuit alleged that the university failed to protect Kollias and that they attempted to obfuscate the connection between Smith's drug heist and the kidnapping.

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University of Rochester students Nicholas Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were kidnapped in 2015

University of Rochester students Nicholas "Niko" Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were kidnapped in December 2015. Kollias and Ewo were seniors and football players at the university. They were lured to a house party by two young women and were subsequently abducted and tortured.

Kollias and Ewo were reported missing under "suspicious circumstances" around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and were last seen near the University of Rochester campus around 2 a.m. that day. They were forcibly abducted and held against their will in a house about four miles from campus.

During their 40 hours of captivity, Kollias and Ewo were beaten and tortured. Kollias was also shot in the leg. Their bank cards were stolen and used for cash withdrawals. Police later learned that the incident was a case of mistaken identity, as the perpetrators had intended to target another student who they believed had stolen drugs and money from them.

A SWAT team rescued Kollias and Ewo just before 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Both were taken to the hospital, where Kollias received treatment for his gunshot wound. Four people were taken into custody, and more arrests were expected.

In 2018, Kollias filed a civil lawsuit against the University of Rochester, alleging negligence and a failure to protect him from the circumstances of his abduction. The lawsuit claimed that the university did not adequately address the drug activities of the original target of the kidnapping, a fellow football player, and that the university attempted to cover up the connection between the drug heist and the kidnapping.

The students were lured to a house party and held hostage

University of Rochester students Nicholas "Niko" Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were lured to a house party and held hostage in 2015. Relatives say Ewo and Kollias were taken hostage after being invited to a party by two young women who claimed they wanted to party with them. The students were last seen near campus around 2 a.m. on the day they were reported missing.

Once inside the house, the lights went out, and they were ambushed by up to 10 masked men and two women. Kollias and Ewo were then tortured physically, sexually, and psychologically for 40 hours. They were tied up and beaten, and Kollias was shot in the leg. Their bank cards were also stolen and used for cash withdrawals.

The incident was a case of mistaken identity, as the perpetrators had intended to target another student, Isaiah Smith, who they believed had stolen drugs and money from them. Smith was known to be a significant drug dealer and user on campus, yet he was never suspended or reprimanded for dealing drugs while he was on the university football team. The lawsuit filed by Kollias against the University of Rochester alleges that the university failed to protect him from the circumstances of his abduction and that they engaged in a cover-up to obfuscate the connection between Smith's drug heist and Kollias's kidnapping.

They were tortured for 40 hours before being rescued by a SWAT team

In December 2015, University of Rochester students Nicholas "Niko" Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were subjected to a brutal kidnapping and torture incident that lasted 40 hours. The two football players were lured to a house party by two young women, where they were forcibly abducted and held captive. During their ordeal, they endured physical, sexual, and psychological torture at the hands of their captors.

Kollias and Ewo were targeted in a case of mistaken identity, as the abductors had intended to target another student, Isaiah Smith, who they believed had stolen drugs and money from them. Smith, a football teammate of Kollias and Ewo, was known for his involvement in drug activities on campus, yet the university allegedly failed to address this issue adequately. The kidnapping was thus motivated by revenge for the assault and robbery committed by Smith.

During their 40-hour captivity, the abductors realized they had the wrong men but refused to release them. The students were subjected to torture involving guns, knives, bats, and even a chainsaw. They were also beaten and shot, with Kollias suffering a gunshot wound to the leg. Their bank cards were stolen and used for cash withdrawals.

Finally, after enduring this horrific ordeal for 40 hours, Kollias and Ewo were rescued by a SWAT team. The police took four people into custody, and nine suspects were later arrested in connection with the crime. The swift action of the SWAT team brought an end to the students' traumatic experience and ensured their release.

The kidnapping and torture incident had a significant impact on the victims, leading Kollias to file a civil lawsuit against the University of Rochester. He alleged that the university was negligent in failing to provide a reasonable duty of care and protecting him from the circumstances of his abduction. The university, however, denied the allegations and asserted its commitment to fostering a safe learning environment for its students.

The kidnapping was a case of mistaken identity

In December 2015, University of Rochester students Nicholas "Niko" Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were kidnapped and tortured. The students were lured to a house party by two young women and were subsequently abducted, tied up, and beaten. Kollias was also shot in the leg. Both students were held captive for 40 hours before being rescued by a SWAT team.

During the 40 hours of captivity, the abductors realized they had the wrong men but refused to release Kollias and Ewo. The kidnapping was part of a revenge plot for the assault and robbery committed by Smith. The victims suffered physical, sexual, and psychological torture at the hands of their assailants, who used guns, knives, bats, and chainsaws to inflict harm.

In the aftermath of the kidnapping, Kollias filed a lawsuit against the University of Rochester, accusing the school of negligence and failing to provide a duty of reasonable care to its students. The lawsuit also alleged that the university attempted to cover up the incident and obfuscate the connection between Smith's drug heist and the kidnapping.

Kollias filed a lawsuit against the university, alleging negligence

In 2015, University of Rochester students Nicholas "Niko" Kollias and Ani Okeke Ewo were abducted and tortured. Kollias was also shot in the leg. The students were rescued by a SWAT team after being held captive for 40 hours.

The lawsuit claimed that the university failed to protect Kollias and that the incident could have been prevented if the university had adequately dealt with another student, Isaiah Smith, who was allegedly a known drug dealer and user on campus. Smith was believed to be the original target of the kidnapping, as the perpetrators sought revenge for a drug robbery. The lawsuit argued that the university ignored Smith's drug activities and failed to reprimand or suspend him, despite his involvement in a drug heist at a university building.

The University of Rochester denied the allegations, stating that they were committed to fostering a safe learning environment for their students and that they complied with all relevant policies, practices, and laws. They also characterized the crimes as "isolated" and expressed their wish for the well-being of the students involved.

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