Anthony Neubauer

A Falconer man recently indicted in connection to the 2014 disappearance and death of a city resident will not be held in jail as he awaits further court action.

During a detention hearing Monday in Buffalo, a U.S. magistrate judge ruled Anthony Neubauer be released on conditions that include home incarceration and use of GPS monitoring. The 36-year-old village resident is facing a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Neubauer is accused of kidnapping an individual identified only as “J.A.” on May 27, 2014. In a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, Neubauer allegedly transported the victim from New York to Pennsylvania, resulting in the victim’s death.

“We’re thankful to the court for the time and consideration,” Neubauer’s attorney, Eric Soehnlein, told The Post-Journal. “Mr. Neubauer is happy to be home with his family while the case is pending.”

Two previous detention hearings in front of U.S. Judge Jeremiah McCarthy in Buffalo were continued prior to Monday’s ruling. Neubauer was arraigned in federal court on March 24.

No further information from the FBI, Jamestown Police Department or U.S. Attorney’s Office has been released regarding the indictment. However, The Post-Journal did learn that the federal charge is indeed connected to the disappearance of Joseph Anthony, then 43 years old when he was last seen May 27, 2014.

After his disappearance, numerous searches were carried out.

Neubauer made headlines in November 2019 after suffering serious injuries in a shooting at a Jamestown tavern on East Second Street. His family later urged police and the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office to file charges against an individual who allegedly was the shooter.

A grand jury later determined there was not enough evidence to support a criminal charge in the shooting.