A 52-year-old woman in New Jersey has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly poisoning an acquaintance by putting a depressant in her tea during a meeting about “unauthorized banking activity.”
Rohweniven Tagulao Bacani was taken into custody and charged with one count of third-degree aggravated assault following a week-long investigation, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation began Sept. 11, when Leonia police responded to a call about a resident hospitalized after a medical emergency that may have involved poisoning. Leonia police notified the prosecutor’s office, whose Major Crimes Unit and Robbery-Homicide Division joined the probe.
The victim told investigators she believed an acquaintance, identified as Bacani, had put something in her drink during a recent meeting, according to the release.
Bacani and the victim met at a Fort Lee restaurant on Sept. 8 to “discuss unauthorized banking activity that the victim detected within her financial accounts, to which Bacani had shared access,” the release states.
The victim told investigators that when she arrived at the restaurant, Bacani “was already present and had a cup of tea waiting for the victim,” according to the release.
“The victim drank some of the beverage but did not finish it after detecting an unusual taste,” the release states. “Subsequently, the victim collapsed while leaving the restaurant and woke up in the hospital with no knowledge of how she arrived. Ultimately, the investigation revealed that Bacani had poisoned the victim with a controlled dangerous substance, namely a benzodiazepine, added to the tea.”
The victim spent several days in the hospital, according to a report from the Daily Voice.
Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs commonly prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia and seizures. They slow activity in the brain and central nervous system and can cause drowsiness, dizziness, confusion and impaired coordination. According to the Food and Drug Administration, an overdose can lead to severe sedation, loss of consciousness and dangerously slowed breathing.
Authorities filed charges against Bacani on Oct. 14. The following day, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Leonia Police Department located her outside her Hackensack residence and arrested her.
Bacani was booked into the Bergen County Jail, where she is being held without bond, records show.