Woman gives man a ride, gets kidnapped by him, Utah officials say. Then she texts 911

A man has been accused of kidnapping a woman who gave him a ride, Utah officials said.

On Feb. 21, the woman texted 911 from the back seat of her car, saying she was being kidnapped in Salt Lake County, court documents said.

She had agreed to give 28-year-old Joseph Schultz a ride, according to a Feb. 25 news release by the Salt Lake County District Attorney.

She allowed him to drive her car and he began “aimlessly” driving before he told her to “shut up” when she asked him to stop, documents said.

Schultz told the woman that he was “nervous about stopping” and needed to steal another car so he could outrun the Adult Probation and Parole, officials said.

He drove through red lights and weaved in and out of traffic before officers stopped him with spikes to the car’s tires, officials said.

“This would have been a terrifying experience for anyone to go through. No one should be victimized, especially when simply trying to offer help to another. Our Survivor and Victim Services Division will work with the victim to ensure she is connected to the resources that can help with the effects of this alleged crime,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in the release.

Schultz was charged with aggravated kidnapping, robbery, failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop, and reckless endangerment, officials said.

This story was originally published February 26, 2025 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Woman gives man a ride, gets kidnapped by him, Utah officials say. Then she texts 911."