Stratford Man Arrested After Home Invasion, Kidnapping on Melville Drive

A Stratford man accused of breaking into the Melville Drive home of an ex-girlfriend and lying in wait for her to return - before dragging her at knifepoint out of her house and into his car Monday morning - was arrested.

John Bajda, 29, of Prospect Drive, was charged with home invasion, first-degree burglary, second-degree threatening, first-degree kidnapping, third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and three counts of risk of injury to a minor. He was held in lieu of $500,000 bond, police said.

Police said Bajda entered his ex-girlfriend's house through an unlocked door, hid in a bedroom closet and waited for her to return. While Bajda was there, the ex-girlfriend's three children, ages 7, 10 and 14, were in the house sleeping, police said. It wasn't immediately clear how long Bajda waited for the woman to return, police said.

When the victim entered the room, Bajda terrorized and threatened to kill her, police said. Police said Bajda held a kitchen knife as he dragged her outside by her hair and forced her into his car, locking the doors and telling her he was going to take her to a wooded area in Easton and kill her.

Police said the woman unsuccessfully tried to get out of the car while it was still in the driveway. "She tried to unlock the door and escape but she was unable to," said Police Sgt. Sue Lussier, a department spokesman.

Bajda stopped the car at the intersection of Greenlawn Drive and Melville Drive long enough for the woman to flee, and she called a friend who called police, police said. Bajda returned to the scene after officers contacted him by phone and was taken into custody about 6:41 a.m., police said.

The woman was not transported to a hospital, police said.