TERRIFYING: Delray Beach Man Allegedly Holds Woman At Gunpoint

SAVED BY DELRAY BEACH POLICE. SUSPECT IN CUSTODY.

DELRAY BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2025 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Delray Beach woman is safe and her alleged attacker is in jail after a terrifying incident near Congress and Linton Boulevard. Joseph Lauria remains held on multiple charges following his arrest.

BocaNewsNow.com obtained the police report filed by the Delray Beach Police Department following the incident on July 5th. According to police, a woman who Lauria apparently knew sent a message to a friend that she was being held against her will in an apartment on Casita Way in Delray Beach. That friend contacted the Delray Beach Police Department to report that something seemed to be wrong.

Using emergency investigative methods, the woman was traced to an apartment occupied by an acquaintance — Joseph Lauria. Police recently had contact with Lauria and immediately took action. Officers responded to the apartment and demanded that Lauria come to the door. When he did, his alleged victim stood behind him and allegedly mouthed “help” to police who ordered Lauria outside. The woman told police that she was being held at gunpoint and that Lauria blocked her from using her phone.

Joseph Lauria was taken into custody and is now charged with “False Imprisonment of an Adult,” “Aggravated Assault With A Firearm,” “Aggravated Battery During a Felony,” and “Tampering With A Witness/Depriving Someone of Using 911.” He remains held in the Palm Beach County Jail.