Two U.S. Forest Service employees were held hostage for hours throughout Thursday night in a Northern California national forest.
The federal employees were freed early Friday after being zip-tied and held at gunpoint for roughly 15 hours inside a trailer in Northern California’s Shasta-Trinity National Forest, The New York Times reported, citing Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue. The hostage situation unfolded at a campground near Gumboot Lake in the forest. Authorities arrested the suspects, Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his 23-year-old son, Phoenix Henrichsen, after the employees were released unharmed, the outlet reported.
“Both are resting and will need some time to process this experience,” said Brian Tosh, the F.B.I.’s acting special agent in Sacramento, according to the outlet.
The motive of the hostage situation remains unclear, and law enforcement is still investigating the situation, the outlet reported, citing Tosh.
“I am proud of the immediate and professional work of these elite FBI teams to assist our partners for a safe and successful resolution,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post to X.
Yesterday and into the early morning hours of today, the FBI responded to a hostage situation in Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Redding, CA – where two individuals took two U.S. Forest Service biologists as hostages.
FBI Sacramento, including our Crisis Negotiators, SWAT… pic.twitter.com/yOZxLrewJ2
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) July 18, 2026
The trailer in which the employees were held hostage was in a heavily forested area high in the mountains, The New York Times reported, citing LaRue. Drones were used to find the trailer, which was located around 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the outlet.
Authorities did not publicly disclose the hostage situation while it was underway because they feared the attention could interfere with negotiations, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Henrichsen claimed he had a rifle, knives, and grenades, LaRue reportedly said; however, it remains unclear if he actually had grenades. Grenades are highly controlled, destructive devices in the United States and are extremely hard to obtain for civilians.
Authorities began negotiating with Joseph Henrichsen around 4:20 p.m. Thursday, the outlet reported. Henrichsen allegedly used one of the victims’ phones to tell authorities he had taken the two Forest Service employees hostage and had “live rounds ready” for anyone who attempted to interfere, the outlet reported, citing federal prosecutors.
People seeking to acquire and use explosive materials for lawful purposes generally must first obtain a federal explosives permit, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The men face federal charges of kidnapping government employees and, if convicted, could receive sentences of up to life in prison and fines of up to $250,000, The New York Times reported, citing the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
(DCNF)
