US Forest Service employees freed after 12-hour hostage ordeal: details under wraps

The U.S. Forest Service members were set free after a 12 hours operation by the law enforcement agencies on Friday morning, July 17.

Two employees of the U.S. Forest Service were held hostage in Shasta-Trinity national forest for more than 12 hours.

According to the California police officials, two men have been arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping.

The alleged kidnapping took place near Gumboot Lake in Shasta-Trinity national forest located in far northern California.

The sheriff from the Siskiyou County department, Jeremiah LaRue, updated the media on Friday afternoon, July 17, 2026.

The incident unfolded on Thursday morning, July 16, when the Siskiyou County department responded to a call from a USFS security officer.

The officer alerted the sheriff's county office that a man inside a trailer had held the two employees tied up and had them under the threat of a gun.

The man was later identified as Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49.

The emergency call prompted a major reaction from law enforcement across Northern California, including local sheriff's officers, police departments, and the FBI.

The law enforcement officials did not detail what led to the negotiations or Henrichsen’s alleged motives behind kidnapping USFS employees.

The workers were out for a routine fieldwork in the remote area of Shasta-Trinity national forest.