Seminole County teens arrested after man carjacked, kidnapped

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Two Seminole County teenagers were arrested after they allegedly kidnapped and terrorized a man at gunpoint.

James Bugardo and Jayland Harrison both turned 18 in December, and they're being held without bond at the Seminole County Jail.

Deputies said the ordeal began at a Walmart grocery store on Red Bug Lake Road.

Bugardo and Harrison are accused of demanding the victim's keys and wallet. The suspects and victim then traveled in the victim's Mercedes to a Wells Fargo, where the victim was forced to withdraw cash, deputies said. Afterwards, the three went back to the group home where the suspects live together.

"I've been kidnapped, gone for hours, at gunpoint. I've been in the backseat of the car, I know this sounds crazy but this is real," the victim told 911 dispatchers.

According to investigators, the suspects then wrapped the victim's arms with duct tape, covered his eyes and put him in his own trunk.

"They had him tied up in duct tape," a witness told a 911 dispatcher.

The victim told deputies the suspects took a joyride in his vehicle and smoked marijuana. Bugardo and Harrison then brought the vicitm back to the group home and tied him up in a bathroom, investigators said.

"We had to make sure they were gone, so we could get this guy out of the bathroom," the witness said.

The teenagers are facing several charges, including kidnapping, robbery and carjacking.

Officials at the group home where the teens live released a statement to Eyewitness News that read in part:

"The events of this week are the first and only kind of this nature in The Village's 8-year history. The Village and its staff continue to cooperate fully with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, and are proud of the two program residents who immediately recognized the situation, stepped up to assist the victim and called authorities."

WFTV