SHASTA-TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST — Two U.S. Forest Service employees were zip-tied and held at gunpoint inside a trailer near Gumboot Lake in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The standoff ended early Friday with the safe release of both hostages after a 15-hour ordeal that drew a large interagency law enforcement response across Northern California.

The two employees were conducting fieldwork when they were taken hostage. Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said the sheriff’s office received a call at 10:55 a.m. Thursday from a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer reporting the hostage situation. Authorities identified the suspect as Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, who indicated he had firearms and ammunition and wanted to speak with the FBI.

The sheriff’s office sent deputies and its special response team to the location around noon and deployed drones. Local law enforcement also deployed a SWAT team, a sniper unit, and a bomb unit in addition to drones. The area around Gumboot Lake in Siskiyou County was closed off during the standoff.

Just after 1 p.m., drones helped authorities identify the trailer where Henrichsen was located. The trailer did not belong to the Forest Service.

The FBI’s Sacramento field office was contacted at 12:20 p.m. and deployed agents from Redding, a crisis negotiation team, SWAT, a hostage rescue team, and assets from Quantico, Virginia. The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team arrived on a Boeing 757 from Quantico. Agencies aiding in the response also included the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Land Management, California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Negotiations started around 4 p.m. A local law enforcement official said, “We felt we had time, better to get them spun up and out here just in case.” Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said, “It was a large incident and I’d like to tell you it’s probably the smoothest thing I’ve seen in years.” LaRue also noted that Joseph Henrichsen and his son were not known to law enforcement prior to the incident.

The two Forest Service employees were released at approximately 1:50 a.m. Friday. The first hostage came out alone, followed 15 minutes later by the second hostage. Joseph Henrichsen and his adult son, Phoenix Henrichsen, surrendered and exited the trailer around 2:30 a.m. Friday.

Joseph Henrichsen possessed an AR-15 and claimed to have grenades at the time of surrender. Officials said Henrichsen was armed with an AR-15 and knives.

Joseph Henrichsen was arrested on federal kidnapping charges. U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said his office will charge both Joseph Henrichsen and Phoenix Henrichsen with kidnapping of a federal employee. Grant confirmed the charges would apply to both individuals involved in the standoff.

FBI Sacramento acting special agent in charge Brian Tosh said the employees are resting and will need time to process the experience. The identities of the two Forest Service employees were not released, and officials did not detail whether the employees were injured. USFS Chief Tom Schultz said in a statement, “I’m grateful beyond words that both of our Forest Service employees taken hostage on the Shasta-Trinity national forest are home safe.” An investigation into the motive for the kidnapping is underway.

The incident represents a rare and serious threat to federal employees performing duties on public lands. U.S. Forest Service personnel regularly conduct fieldwork in remote areas, and this event underscores the potential risks they face. The coordinated law enforcement response involving multiple state and federal agencies highlights the protocols in place for high-stakes hostage situations on federal property.

Charges of kidnapping a federal employee carry severe penalties under U.S. law, reflecting the gravity with which such acts against government workers are treated. With the suspects in custody and an ongoing investigation into motive, authorities aim to determine whether this was an isolated act or part of a broader pattern of anti-government sentiment.