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Warning: This story contains graphic images and violence that may be triggering to readers.
Ben Fancher, a man suspected in the brutal beating of a woman he met on Hinge, was arrested on Tuesday after authorities traced his whereabouts to New York, WSB-TV reports.
Last week an Atlanta woman named Brittany Correri shared a disturbing post on Instagram, showing her bloodied face after she was subjugated to beatings and death threats on November 11, claiming Fancher held her hostage.
Correri said she initially excited to meet up with Fancher after connecting with him on the online dating app Hinge.
“I felt that we connected. He made me comfortable,” Correri told WSB-TV. “Super nice guy. Very nice. We were laughing throughout the whole night. Just having a great time.”
The two visited different venues throughout the night before things turned violent after leaving Hide Lounge nightclub. According to Correri, Fancher became uncontrollably irate after watching her dance with two other Black women at the venue, even calling her the n-word while beating her during the treacherous ride.
“The more I would cry, try to defend myself, plead with him to let me go the more he would beat my entire body,” she wrote on Instagram. “After hours of being driven around, beaten and held against my will he drew his gun on me and told me that he was going to kill me.”
Correri believes her life was spared only because a security guard who saw Fancher dragging her from the car, intervened and helped her get to safety.
“Please ladies be vigilant. Always tell someone where you are going, who you are going with and have a checking in game plan with someone,” Correri continued on her post.
Correri’s lawyer Michael Sterling, who is married to model and “Housewives of Atlanta” star Eva Marcille, told WTSP they traced Fancher to Kent, New York, after a woman who was scheduled to go on a date with Fancher saw Correri’s post on social media and alerted authorities.
Fancher faces charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault.
“We can sleep tonight,” Correri told WSB-TV. “He could have killed me. And he deserves to be behind bars.”
In a statement released to Narcity Hinge condemned the violence and said they will take action, but in an Instagram post sharing her story, Sterling says he’s disappointed with Hinge’s handling of the event.
On Wednesday Correri shared a post thanking everyone for their support and for sharing her story to spread awareness.
She also noted that she will be taking a break from social media for her mental health, but when she returns will work to push Hinge to create more effective safety measures for users.
