Teen found safe after standoff; ex-boyfriend charged

McKEESPORT (AP) — A Pittsburgh-area teen has been found safe and her ex-boyfriend has been charged with kidnapping after a two-hour standoff.

State police had issued an Amber Alert for 16-year-old Marjani Aquil after she hadn’t been seen since 3:15 p.m. Wednesday in Penn Hills.

She was found inside a house in McKeesport shortly before midnight with bruises to her face. Nineteen-year-old Jermaine Laquay Rodgers of East Pittsburgh was found hiding in the basement two hours later.

KDKA reports Rodgers uttered a string of obscenities when asked if he had anything to say about the incident, as he was being led out of police headquarters.

Rodgers was being held pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 28.

Last year, Rodgers pleaded guilty to terroristic threats and simple assault in an incident involving Aquil.