Woman 'kidnapped by man posing as Uber driver' rescued after petrol station note

25 August 2023 , 21:16

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The chilling note pleading for help was handed to the customer at the gas station (Image: Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office)

A woman allegedly abducted by a man posing as an Uber driver was rescued after she slipped a note to a customer at a gas station.

The woman is said to have been snatched at a Phoenix car dealership on Monday, before allegedly being zip-tied and driven by suspect Jacob Wilhoit, aged 41, 150 miles overnight. Wilhoit is believed to have a history with the victim and allegedly attempted to disguise himself by wearing a wig when he picked up the victim, police said this week.

However police said his alleged plot was foiled on Tuesday at around 5pm when he stopped at a gas station. During the stop at Chevron in Seligman the woman passed a note to another customer pleading for help. Police said her note included a description of the van she was being kept in, a phone number and the route she presumed the car was taking.

A chilling photo of the yellow note showed the words, "Help... Call 911... Blue Honda Van." The alarmed customer immediately called police before Wilhoit was arrested a few miles down the road. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office released a statement detailing how relatives provided police with Wilhoit's name and he became a perceived person of interest.

Wilhoit was booked on an array of charges - including harassment, threatening, aggravated assault, unlawful Imprisonment, and kidnapping (Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office)

They were also told he was wearing a wearing a wig before the alleged abduction, and kept the woman zip-tied for much of the trip. Officers' update, aired Wednesday, said: "On August 22nd at 5 p.m. a woman at a Chevron in Seligman signaled another customer and passed a note that gave her name and asked the customer to call 911 saying she had been kidnapped.

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"The note included a description of the van the woman was in, a phone number, and said that they were going to Kingman and Las Vegas." On the receiver of the note, they said: "The customer relayed that the van had just left westbound on I-40, and provided descriptions of the clothing for both the woman and the man with whom she was traveling.

"YCSO alerted the Department of Public Safety to assist in locating the van, which they were able to do at Mile Post 116 on I-40. The adult female victim and a 41-year-old male Jacob Wilhoit were detained without incident."

The woman handed the note to a customer at the gas station pleading for help along with a description of the vehicle (Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office)

Officers said multiple firearms were found in plain view Wilhoit's Honda. Wilhoit was booked on an array of charges - including harassment, threatening, aggravated assault, unlawful Imprisonment, and kidnapping.

Police added: "The victim’s extraordinary action in passing the note, the customer’s willingness to assist, and the quick actions of YCSO and DPS saved the victim from her kidnapper and allowed her to return home with her family."

Wilhoit was being held in Unit 3 of Yavapai County's local lockup. A bail amount was not specified.

Abigail O'Leary