U.S. Forest Workers Held Hostage By Father-Son Duo Who Had Grenades

This was a terrifying situation.

A father-son duo allegedly took two U.S. forest workers hostage in California’s Shasta Trinity National Forest.

The father-son duo allegedly zip-tied the two workers and held them hostage at gunpoint inside of a trailer.

The FBI were quickly called to the scene and after a lengthy conversation were able to secure the release of the workers.

Fox News reported more on the hostage situation:

A father-son duo in California allegedly kidnapped a pair of U.S. forest service workers, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a press conference.

Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen allegedly took the two federal workers hostage inside a trailer in a rural area near Mt. Shasta.

The FBI deployed a hostage negotiator from Quantico to coordinate with local authorities. The authorities negotiated the hostages’ release after hours of talks with the kidnappers.

The elder Henrichsen demanded to speak with the FBI after ziptying the hostages and holding them inside a trailer near Gumboot Lake in northern California’s Shasta Trinity National Forest.

Here’s what FBI Director Kash Patel had to share about the hostage situation:

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

Full text:

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 Team, and Evidence Response Team all arrived on scene, including a tactical deployment of our Hostage Rescue Team from Quantico. After nearly 10 hours of negotiations, the hostages were safely released – and subjects Joseph Henrichsen and Phoenix Henrichsen surrendered and were immediately taken into custody.

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I am proud of the immediate and professional work of these elite FBI teams to assist our partners for a safe and successful resolution.

CBS News reported the two suspects had grenades:

Brian Tosch, acting special agent in charge for the FBI’s Sacramento field office, said that at the time of their surrender, Charles Henrichsen “had an AR-15 and knives, and claimed to have grenades.”

Officials could not confirm if the suspects owned or resided in the trailer where the victims were held. Investigators do not yet have a motive in the kidnapping, Tosch said. The two suspects will face federal charges of kidnapping a federal employee, said Eric Grant, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California.

Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson emphasized that the remoteness of the trailer presented challenges for law enforcement.

“I’ve got to tell you folks, this is remote Northern California, out in a rural area where it’s tough to get resources in and out, it’s a small one-lane road,” Johnson said. “It is rough terrain and different than handling an incident within a city or urban environment.”

Schultz said the two employees were performing routine work when they were kidnapped.

“They weren’t patrolling there, they were just going to do their work. It was just seasonal work they would do on a regular basis,” Schultz said, describing the incident as a “frightening experience for everyone involved.”

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Watch the press conference by authorities announcing the arrests here: