New Hampshire man arrested after woman alleges hostage abuse and ritual coercion

A Newington Olive Garden parking lot became the center of a police intervention after a woman allegedly ran from the restaurant and asked for help, telling officers that Daniel Ouellet had held her against her will, forced her to marry him and subjected her to a “satanic ritual.” The arrest, made by Newington police on June 6, 2026, has put a spotlight on coercive control, weapon access and the role family members can play in breaking an alleged pattern of abuse.

Police identified the suspect as Daniel Ouellet, 47. The woman’s mother reportedly tracked her daughter’s phone to the restaurant and contacted police, helping officers locate the pair at the busy chain restaurant in Newington, New Hampshire. When police arrived, the woman fled from the restaurant and sought immediate help. Court-document reporting says officers saw what appeared to be cigarette burns on her legs, an indication that investigators believed the abuse was not limited to a single incident.

Reporting based on court filings says authorities also found a Satanic Bible, a sweatshirt and a bag in Ouellet’s car. The items, together with the woman’s account, appear to have been central to the investigation as officers pieced together what prosecutors describe as a pattern of alleged abuse. Ouellet was reported to be facing felony charges and was being held at the Rockingham County Department of Corrections.

Additional reporting says the alleged abuse stretched beyond New Hampshire into Maine. Court documents described claims that Ouellet forced the woman to marry him at gunpoint and cut her hand during an alleged ritual in Kittery, Maine. The woman’s name has not been released publicly.

The case also prompted a wider public-safety response. Some reports say authorities issued a shelter-in-place order in nearby Lee, New Hampshire, after learning Ouellet had weapons. That precaution underscored how quickly a domestic-violence allegation can become a broader law-enforcement issue when firearms are involved and a victim is believed to be in immediate danger.

For investigators, the case now rests on a set of intersecting claims: alleged kidnapping-like restraint, forced marriage, physical injury and ritual coercion across state lines. For the woman, the critical turning point came when her mother traced the phone and police reached the restaurant in time for her to get away.