SUFFOLK, Va. - Police in Suffolk arrested Jacob Michael Freiburger, 42, in connection with an attempted kidnapping in the city that happened Sunday.
Jacob Michael Freiburger
According to officials, dispatch received a call around 10 p.m. saying two men tried to kidnap a woman in the 1800 block of Lakeside Drive.
When officers responded, the woman told police that Freiburger drove up to her while she was walking in the area and tried to pull her into a vehicle. This is when the woman broke free, according to police.
In a press release, police said the victim ran to her home, but close friends told News 3's Samantha German the victim was in the neighborhood for the first time visiting with friends who live there. They said the neighborhood is quiet and that police usually don't patrol the area.
Despite being scared, they said the victim is okay.
“I talked to her this morning and she’s just shaken up from it, that’s it. She was pretty bad off last night," said Preston Phillips, friend of the victim.
Freiburger has been charged with abduction and kidnapping.
Following News 3's report on Monday evening, a friend reached out to a reporter to say he was with Freiburger that night.
The friend says they were driving out of the neighborhood when they noticed a woman who seemed out of place. "Jacob, out of my passenger side window, said, 'Hey! Are you all right? Are you okay?' She then responded, 'Yes, I'm fine,' and we proceeded on," the friend said. The friend asked News 3 to protect his identity for fear of retaliation.
A minute or two later the two swung back to Freiburger's house to check on something. The friend says they noticed a group seemed upset and came charging at them. They locked themselves in Freiburger's house and called police.
Officers arrived shortly after and interviewed everyone. Then, they put handcuffs on Freiburger and arrested him. "At that point my jaw hit the floor because that didn't make any sense at all," the friend said.
Court documents say Freiburger denied touching the woman. On Tuesday, police wouldn't elaborate on their investigation. Friends say Freiburger is a respected Army reservist, and this all doesn't make sense. They don't know how the interaction could've led to him getting arrested.
"We seriously do not know why this has been taken to this level," the friend said. "He was just trying to be an upstanding citizen and ask if the woman was alright."
A judge granted Freiburger $25,000 bond on Tuesday. He's due back in court in October.
