09-07-2025
Man goes to friend's house to buy game console and wakes up zip-tied, FL cops say
A man arranged to buy a PlayStation 5 from a friend, then he was choked until he lost consciousness and woke up duct-taped and zip-tied, Florida authorities said.
He escaped when his accused kidnapper fell asleep, and now 32-year-old Nicolas Flores is facing charges of kidnapping, robbery with a weapon, and possession of a controlled substance, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
The victim told investigators he went to Flores' house in Lehigh Acres on July 7 to buy a PlayStation 5 when Flores got out a machete, deputies said. The man said Flores choked him unconscious, and when he woke up, his wrists and legs were bound, according to the sheriff's office.
Flores held the man captive and began transferring money from the victim's bank account to his own over the course of the next few hours, deputies said.
Eventually Flores fell asleep, and the man escaped early the next morning, he told investigators. Law enforcement was alerted to what happened, and the victim was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
When investigators went to the southwest Florida home to execute a search warrant, Flores walked outside and was placed in handcuffs, according to a video shared by the sheriff's office.
Deputies said they found the items Flores is accused of using to restrain the victim, as well as a cocktail of cocaine and fentanyl.
Lehigh Acres is about a 20-mile drive east from Fort Myers.
