Overview

• Josh Sullivan, a U.S. pastor and missionary, was abducted at gunpoint on April 10 during a church service in Motherwell Township, South Africa.
• South African police, led by the elite Hawks unit, rescued Sullivan on April 15 in Gqeberha after a high-intensity shootout that left three kidnappers dead.
• Sullivan was discovered inside the suspects' vehicle and was found miraculously unharmed, with medical personnel confirming he is in excellent condition.
• Authorities are continuing their investigation, addressing the broader issue of a dramatic rise in kidnappings in South Africa, which have surged by 264% over the past decade.
• Sullivan, who has been living in South Africa since 2018 as a church planting missionary, has been reunited with his family and is receiving support from his Tennessee-based Fellowship Baptist Church.