Woman Accused of Drugging Acquaintance’s Tea During Restaurant Meeting, Leaving Her Hospitalized for Days

A New Jersey woman is facing an aggravated assault charge after allegedly slipping a drug into an acquaintance’s tea during a restaurant meeting, leaving the other woman unconscious and hospitalized for several days. Investigators say the meeting had been arranged to discuss suspicious banking activity, turning what should have been a conversation about financial concerns into a disturbing criminal investigation.

Rohweniven Tagulao Bacani, 52, of Hackensack, allegedly met the woman at a restaurant in Fort Lee on September 8, 2026. According to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the two knew each other and had shared access to financial accounts. The victim had reportedly discovered unauthorized activity in those accounts, prompting the meeting to discuss what had happened.

When the victim arrived, Bacani was already at the restaurant with a cup of tea waiting for her, investigators said. The woman drank some of the beverage but stopped after noticing an unusual taste. As she left the restaurant, she suddenly collapsed. She later woke up in a hospital with no recollection of how she had arrived there.

The victim remained hospitalized for several days following the medical emergency and was recovering as the investigation progressed. Authorities said their investigation ultimately indicated that the tea had been laced with a benzodiazepine, a class of controlled substances that affects the central nervous system and can cause drowsiness, confusion and loss of consciousness.

The case came to the attention of Leonia police on September 11, when officers received information about a resident hospitalized after a serious medical episode that may have involved poisoning. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office joined the investigation, with detectives working to establish what had happened during the restaurant meeting. After several weeks of investigation, Bacani was charged with third-degree aggravated assault on October 14.

The following day, detectives located Bacani outside her home in Hackensack and arrested her. She was taken to the Bergen County Jail pending her first court appearance in Bergen County Superior Court. Authorities have not publicly established a motive beyond the reported dispute involving financial accounts, and the allegations have yet to be tested in court.

Prosecutors emphasized that the charge is an accusation and that Bacani is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Meanwhile, the case has raised serious questions about the events surrounding the meeting and what led to the victim’s sudden collaps

Source: Law&Crime