Anthony Neubauer

A Falconer man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a kidnapping that resulted in a death.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Adler said according to the complaint, on May 27, 2014, 36-year old Anthony Neubauer kidnapped an individual identified as J.A. and transported them from New York to Pennsylvania, resulting in the death of J.A.

Neubauer was arraigned Friday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah McCarthy and is being held pending a detention hearing on Tuesday, March 28.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison.

According to the Jamestown Post-Journal, the initials “J.A.” and the date of the kidnapping match the disappearance of Joseph D. Anthony, who was last seen May 27, 2014, in the 700 block of East Second Street in Jamestown.

The Post-Journal reported that the FBI executed a federal search warrant near Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania but there was no comment on the subject of the warrant nor if anything was recovered.

Anthony Neubauer was more recently the victim of a shooting at The Bullfrog Hotel on November 30, 2019.

No charges were filed in that case. Former Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings stated in February 2020 that with attempts to interview Neubauer through his attorney were unsuccessful, JPD ended its investigation and turned the matter over to the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist (left) listens as Police Chief Harry Snellings offers an update on the investigation into recent shooting incidents that occurred in Jamestown early this year and late last year.

JAMESTOWN – Mayor Eddie Sundquist and Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings held a press conference Tuesday morning to update the public on a number of shooting incidents that have occurred in Jamestown during the past few months.

According to Chief Snellings, city police are doing everything possible to identify and arrest those involved in a shooting that occurred last month on Jan. 25 on Hazzard St. where a person was shot while driving their vehicle, along with another that was reported on Christmas Day on Newland Ave. in which police said four to five shots were fired at a vehicle from a person standing in the area.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE

Snellings said both those incidents are believed to be connected and were targeted incidents.

“Recently we put out a media release that talked about us recovering the vehicle that was directly involved in the [Jan. 25] shooting. During the course of the investigation we’ve been able to identify all the individuals involved and it also led us into tying it to the Newland Ave. shooting on Christmas Day. So there’s a link there. We are working with local and federal partners to approach this at every angle we can,” Snellings said.

The chief added that until police speak with the victim they are unable to arrest possible suspects in the case.

“Our shooting victim is in stable condition and once he is able to be interviewed then we’ll go down and do that,” Snellings said.

Snellings also addressed the Nov. 30 shooting at the Bullfrog Hotel Bar and Grill on E. 2nd St. A man identified as Tony Nuebauer was struck twice and was taken to UPMC Chautauqua and later transferred to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa.

No charges have been filed in the incident and Snellings said Neubauer has retained an attorney; adding that attempts to interview Neubauer through his attorney have been unsuccessful. As a result, the JPD has now ended its investigation and turned the matter over to the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.

Meanwhile, Mayor Sundquist said the press conference was meant to update the public and to ask for input and cooperation.

Anyone with information regarding past shootings is asked to call the Jamestown Police Department at 483-7537, through the anonymous tip line at 483-8477 (TIPS) or via the Tips 411 cellphone app. All tips are kept confidential.

Tony Nuebauer (standing left) with his family during a past Christmas. Nuebauer is currently in an Erie Hospital recovering from injuries sustained after being shot twice during an altercation at the Bullfrog Bar & Grill in Jamestown during the early morning of Nov. 30, 2019. (Image from Justice for Tony Facebook page)

UPDATE (Dec. 10, 2019 – 2:20 p.m.): WRFA spoke with Jamestown Police Captain Robert Samuelson Tuesday afternoon in regards to this story. For clarification, Samuelson informed us that he has been in regular contact with the family members of Tony Nuebauer as recently as last Friday. He said that he has also given them updates in the investigation and has also explained to them why charges have not yet been filed in the case. Because the investigation is ongoing, he can not comment publicly to specific questions and concerns that were raised, including the reason for no charges being filed immediately after police responded to the incident.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The complete audio from our interview with Robert Kinne and Amanda Frankson is available at the end of this report.]

JAMESTOWN – Family and friends of a local man who was shot twice while at the Bullfrog Bar & Grill last month are seeking answers to questions they have about the police investigation into the incident.

During the early morning hours of Saturday, Nov. 30, 31 year-old Tony Nuebauer of Falconer was shot twice in the stomach during an altercation at the bar. He was sent to UPMC Hamot in Erie the day of the shooting, where he remains today in stable condition, trying to recover from his injuries.

The Jamestown Police Department is handling the case. They tell WRFA that the person who shot Nuebauer had a legal permit to carry and has been cooperating with their investigation. That person’s name isn’t being released because no charges were filed the night of the incident, nor in the ten-plus days since, although the investigation is still ongoing.

Robert Kinne (left) and Amanda Frankson were two of the several supporters who held a rally during the downtown Jamestown Holiday Parade demanding “Justice for Tony.”

On Monday WRFA spoke with Amanda Frankson, Tony Nuebauer’s sister, and his friend and fellow Army veteran Robert Kinne. The two belong of a group of people who’ve started a page on Facebook called “Justice for Tony” and which offers updates on Nuebauer’s condition while also keeping the community updated on the investigation.

• READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM NUEBAUER’S FAMILY

Kinne said that Neubauer’s family and friends are frustrated with police and the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office for not file charges immediately despite a person getting shot twice.

“We don’t concede that Tony was any kind of an aggressor because we have information that leads us to believe that he was not, but even if (he was) – given their side of the story that Tony was the aggressor in a physical altercation – justification defined under New York State Law does not allow the use of deadly force to protect yourself,” Kinne said.” You’ve heard the adage ‘Don’t bring a gun to a knife fight’ well here you’re bringing a gun to a fist fight. It’s just not allowed by law. That’s our belief, that at a minimum he should have been charged with assault in the first degree.”

Kinne is also alleging that the shooter has a relationship with a member of local law enforcement and he feels the police who responded to the scene became aware of this, which is why no charges were immediately filed.

“We understand that the shooter’s father is employed in law enforcement and employed somewhere within the state of New York,” Kinne said.” As a family we are concerned that the JPD may not want to cross what they call ‘the thin blue line’ And we just want to make sure this doesn’t get swept under the rug.”

Last week WRFA reached out to both Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings and along with District Attorney Patrick Swanson and both say that the investigation is ongoing. As a result, they are not at liberty to discuss many details of the case, although Snellings did tell WRFA last week that investigators do want to talk with Nuebauer.  Police also said at the time of the incident that they are asking for anyone who may have witnessed the altercation to contact them. Snelling’s said once all evidence and information has been collected, it will be turned over to the DA’s Office where they can decide what charges – if any – will be pursued.

In the meantime, Frankson said that Nuebauer is continuing to recover from injuries that severely damaged his small and large intestines and also left him without feeling below his waste, although that is now starting to return a little bit.

“He’s doing a lot better than he was. He’s getting a little better day-by-day and baby steps are better than no steps. He’s off his ventilator and he is talking so that is a very big step for us,” Frankson said.

Frankson also said that for those who want to help, a benefit is being organized with more details coming in the near future.

“We’re going to be having benefits. Dates for that will be released soon. There is a Justice for Tony page on Facebook that anybody is welcome to join and which will have more information about the benefits. We’re doing everything we can and everything is flying at us at once but we are getting it organized and getting more of set plan to see how everyone can help,” Frankson said.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident at the Bullfrog is asked to contact the Jamestown Police Department at 483-7537, through the anonymous tip line at 483-8477 (TIPS) or via the Tips 411 cellphone app.

UPDATE (DEC. 12, 2019 – 9:35 a.m.): As part of the attached interview, WRFA has subsequently learned that Mr. Kinne made an erroneous statement regarding the whereabouts of Tony Nuebauer prior to the shooting incident that took place at the Bullfrog. Mr. Kinne had stated that Neubauer was at a downtown Jamestown establishment prior to being at the Bullfrog. We have since been informed that statement was incorrect. As a result we’ve redacted that information from the provided audio to avoid confusion and maintain accuracy of the accounts provided. The statement was not included in our broadcast or in the above story.