Ontario man kidnapped after family held hostage

An Ontario father of three was beaten and kidnapped Monday afternoon by a band of men who police said had held his wife and children hostage for hours as they waited for his return home, authorities said today.

Santiago Contreras, 34, was abducted at gunpoint about 2 p.m. from his residence in the 700 block of West Jacaranda Street, about 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, according to a statement by Ontario Police.

Authorities said between three and five men arrived at Contreras’ house at about 9:30 a.m. and allegedly forced their way inside. Ontario Police Lt. Brad Wirtz said that once in the home, the men held the family hostage for about five hours until Contreras returned. The man’s family members, including his wife and older children, were not harmed, Wirtz said.

When Contreras arrived, family members told police that the intruders beat him and then fled with him in a light-colored vehicle that looked like a Ford Excursion or Explorer model from 1998 to 2002. The vehicle has two horizontal black stripes below the side windows, and a red and white rope hangs from the car’s rear hatch, police said.

Police have no suspected motive and the family has received no ransom demand, Wirtz said.

Authorities ask that anyone with information about Contreras’ whereabouts call Det. Al Parra at (909) 395-2752.

susannah.rosenblatt@latimes.com