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Yahoo
16 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ocala woman bitten by dog while feeding homeless, vows to continue mission
The Brief An Ocala woman was bitten in the face by a dog while feeding the homeless but remains committed to her weekly outreach. Nicole Burch, a former homeless woman herself, is recovering and undergoing rabies treatment. Despite the attack, she and her husband say they'll return to serve the community as usual. OCALA, Fla. - An Ocala woman is recovering from injuries after being bitten in the face by a dog while distributing food to the homeless over the weekend. What we know Nicole Burch of Ocala was bitten in the face by a dog over the weekend while distributing food to the homeless with her husband, Willie. The incident left her with facial injuries requiring multiple stitches and a rabies vaccination series. The dog is believed to belong to a homeless person in the area, but the owner has not been identified. What we don't know Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the dog's owner, and it remains unclear whether the animal has been located or vaccinated. Animal control is investigating, but the lack of information may hinder further action. The backstory Nicole and Willie Burch began feeding the homeless in Ocala a year ago, distributing about 80 food bags each week. Their mission is rooted in personal experience—Nicole was once homeless herself and lived on Interstate 95 for five years. Local perspective The Burches' work is supported by Fellowship Baptist Church in Ocala, which now accepts food donations to aid in their outreach. Their ongoing presence has made them known in the community, and the attack has drawn attention to both the risks and the resilience involved in grassroots charity efforts. What they're saying Nicole Burch was volunteering with her husband, Willie, when the dog, believed to belong to a homeless individual, suddenly lunged and bit her. The incident left Burch with visible wounds and required multiple stitches to her lip. "The dog jumped up and bit my wife in the face," Willie Burch told a 911 operator. "She got a big old hole in her face on her lip." The couple, who began their weekly outreach a year ago, package and deliver about 80 bags of food to local shelters. Despite the attack, the couple said she remains committed to the cause. "We do this because God has brought us from so far," Willie said. "This won't stop us," Nicole said, adding that they plan to return to their usual distribution site next Saturday. "Same place, same place, giving out, feeding the homeless." What's next Nicole Burch is due for her second of three rabies shots on Tuesday. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by the Ocala Police Department and by Nicole and Willie Burch.
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Fox News
Tennessee pastor kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa recalls 'miracle' that saved his life
Print Close By Audrey Conklin Published May 13, 2025 A Tennessee pastor who was kidnapped at gunpoint from his church in South Africa just before Easter is speaking out about his experience — and the miracle that saved his life. Joshua Sullivan, a 34-year-old Fellowship Baptist Church pastor and missionary working in Motherwell , was kidnapped by several armed, masked men who broke into his church in the Eastern Cape Province on the evening of April 10, took cellphones from parishioners and drove away with Sullivan in his own truck. "We do our prayer time before service, and… I got up to preach, and about one minute into the sermon, four masked gunmen entered the building. We originally thought, you know, South Africa is not the safest place. We've been robbed before. So, we originally thought they were just going to come in and take some phones. I preached from an iPad. I thought they were going to take it, but once he hit me over the head with his gun and then grabbed my wife, I knew something was different about this," Joshua said in an interview with Fox News' Madison Scrapino. The pastor recalled doing "whatever they wanted" him to do when they broke into his church, fearing they might kidnap his wife Meagan, too. AMERICAN PASTOR'S KIDNAPPING IN SOUTH AFRICA FUELED BY SOARING ARMED ROBBERY INCIDENTS IN RECENT YEARS "They got me up, and they took me into my own vehicle. They got the keys from my vehicle, put me in it. All four of those men and me were inside of that vehicle. He immediately started to tell me, 'So I know who you are. I know you're American. I know you have money, and we're going to kidnap you, and we're going to get,' he said, '5 million Rand,' which is about $260,000," Joshua said. "That's what they were wanting. And he asked if my car had a tracker device. I said yes. They were prepared for that." The kidnappers drove about a quarter mile down the road before transferring the pastor into a different vehicle. Then, they left that vehicle and got into a third one before driving about 20 minutes to another location. They forced him to put up his hood and keep his head down. AMERICAN PASTOR KIDNAPPED AT GUNPOINT IN SOUTH AFRICA RESCUED AFTER DEADLY POLICE SHOOTOUT The suspects took the pastor into the "very back bedroom" of a house, put him on a bed, tied his hands and kept him there for six days, Joshua said. There were three other men in the house with him, who soon realized they were "just babysitters" who didn't know who he was. "Two of the men were there the entire time, and one of them was evil to me, would say evil things to me," he recalled. "The other one was like the chef. I guess he would come in and ask me… what I wanted to eat, what I wanted to drink. You know, they kidnap me, they take me to the room, they tied me up. Twenty minutes later, he comes in and says, 'What you want for supper?' Like I don't want anything for supper. I didn't eat for the first two days." TRUMP ADMIN SECURES RELEASE OF AMERICAN MISSIONARY HELD IN TUNISIA FOR 13 MONTHS: REPORT Initially, the men thought Joshua was from the U.K., and he explained that he was an American pastor. "And I was able to tell them about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ… giving them the gospel. They had never heard that message before," he said. "And so the one individual was very interested. He had never heard that Jesus loved him or cared for him, and he was very interested in it, listened to everything I had to say. The second individual just listened to me, just to hear what I had to say and didn't really mind too much, but… at least I had the opportunity to do that." Meagan Sullivan described the six days her husband was gone as "torture." The couple and their six children, two of whom they adopted in South Africa, have lived in South Africa for seven years. They had both been robbed before and heard about kidnappings in the area where they live. "The police in South Africa are very desensitized to crime." — Meagan Sullivan "There's not a lot that they can do," Meagan said of the local police. "So, they were very nonchalant about the whole thing. And I was just so broken, and over the, the next few days, I just remember the Lord telling me to wait." Meagan said she had to focus on surrendering to God and comforting her children, adding later that the "worst part" of her experience was not hearing anything from police. "They were sobbing. They were terrified," she said of their kids, "but we prayed together. We gave it to the Lord and told him that we trust him." 'SLOWING THINGS DOWN' IS 'KEY' TO SAFE RETURN OF TENNESSEE PASTOR KIDNAPPED IN SOUTH AFRICA: RETIRED FBI AGENT The kidnappers contacted Meagan via WhatsApp for several days, demanding their ransom for his release. "I just crumbled to the ground when I was talking to them because… they said, '5 million ransom and you'll get your husband back.' … And they said cash. And I said, 'I don't have 5 million cash. Can you work with me?' And they said, 'You are not in any position to be making demands,'" she said. "And I said, 'OK, I'll get you your 5 million Rand, but it might take me a minute.' And so I was just really trying to figure out how I was going to make that happen." Six days into his kidnapping, Joshua experienced what he described as a "miracle." On April 16, the kidnappers moved Joshua into a vehicle. He didn't know where they were taking him but got the feeling they "had to get rid of" him. As they were taking him from the back bedroom of the house into a garage with his head covered, Joshua tripped on a step and fell down. He stood after a minute and then tripped on another step as the suspects tried to rush him out of the house and into a vehicle. Joshua could not see anything but sensed when they drove the vehicle out of the garage and sat in the driveway. 9 NIGERIAN STUDENTS KIDNAPPED AT GUNPOINT IN REGION'S LATEST SCHOOL ABDUCTION "While we're sitting in the driveway, the guys just jumped out of the car and began firing their weapons," he said. "Of course, I don't know what's going on. And then… [for] about five to seven minutes, I hear a gun battle. Nothing hits the car, nothing around the car. But I just hear guns going off, and I'm just laying back there praying. I didn't know what I should do. Should I run? Should I get out? I didn't know, so I just laid back there and prayed. Then I hear the battle is ended." He heard footsteps come toward the car and someone open one of the doors, and a man asked if he was "the American pastor," to which Joshua responded, 'Yes." "He takes my hood off my hood, and I see the police uniform, and he says, 'OK, we're the police.' And I just lost it. I just began crying and just, that's when the shock began. I just got thrown into shock. I just got on my hands and knees and praised the Lord. But the police were so surprised. They were in shock that I was in there," he said. Joshua later discovered that the police received a tip about a suspicious vehicle earlier that day. They went to chase down the lead to a different location, took a wrong turn and ended up in the driveway of the house where the pastor was being held captive to turn their vehicle around. It was then that the kidnapping suspects got out of the vehicle and began firing at the police. "It was is a sovereign hand of God. It was a miracle. It was a complete miracle." — Joshua Sullivan Three suspects died in the shootout with police. Joshua said the turn of events that led to his recovery was "undoubtedly a miracle." "Whether you're a believer or a nonbeliever, I know that doesn't matter. What happened to us, what happened to me, it was a miracle from God," he said. "The sovereign hand of God was on it because as we were speaking before the interview, things like this happen all the time… and in this case… what else could you say besides God performed a miracle in our lives? … I think he did it to show the world." Meagan said it was "horrifying" to watch their children "scream and cry and for their daddy," but they "got to see that faith isn't just something that mom and dad talk about." "They got to experience it because they saw God work a miracle in their own lives," she said. "They prayed, and God answered their prayer." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Sullivans said they both feel more strongly about their mission to teach Christianity in South Africa after Joshua's kidnapping. The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Africa said in a December 2024 report that the South African Police Service's (SAPS) annual crime statistics show kidnappings increased by 264% from 4,692 in 2014 and 2015 to 17,061 in 2023 and 2024. Most kidnapping incidents over the 2023-2024 time period "were perpetrated during aggravated robberies, such as car or truck hijackings or armed robberies at businesses, homes, or in public spaces," the ISS Africa report reads. Print Close URL
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
East Tennessee pastor recounts ‘miracle' rescue after kidnapping in South Africa
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — An East Tennessee pastor who was abducted at gunpoint from the pulpit in South Africa has returned home and is sharing his story of faith and how a 'miracle' unfolded after six days of being held captive. Josh Sullivan, 34, his wife Meagan and their six children have been living in South Africa's Eastern Cape providence, where they are church planting missionaries and lead a life on a mission to share the gospel. The Sullivans sat down with 6 News' Lori Tucker, saying that as they shared their story of Josh's kidnapping and rescue, they wanted to be intentional to keep the focus on the sovereign hand of God that got them through. The full interview can be watched at 7:30 p.m. on WATE6+. Report identifies teens who died after jumping from I-75 bridge in Loudon County On April 10, Josh Sullivan was preaching at a prayer meeting when four armed men broke into the Fellowship Baptist Church in the Motherwell Township. Meagan Sullivan recounted how many thoughts when through her mind in the first few moments, quickly shifting from excitement to see men coming to the church, which is mainly attended by women and children, to noticing that the men had firearms, and then again to the realization that they may be robbed soon. Josh Sullivan explained that the men came in a few minutes into the service. 'I assumed they all had guns, but we definitely saw two different guns because one came to me and one came to her. We originally thought they were going to rob us – that happens, unfortunately, a lot in our area – so I was prepared to give them my phone and iPad. But then once he hit me over the head with his gun, I knew this was not a normal robbery.' Josh Sullivan said. Josh Sullivan said his eyes went black for a moment, and he wondered what happened because he didn't see it coming. 'Then I heard my wife speaking to one of the other individuals, they were looking for the car keys to our vehicle, and then I was on the ground after that,' he recalled. Ultimately, the men took Josh Sullivan to a location where he was kept for 122 hours. He said the men who kidnapped him were seeking a ransom of 5 million rand, which is worth upwards of $250,000. The couple explained that kidnapping for ransoms in the region are something that seems to be frequent, a statement that aligns with a BBC's report that there has been a dramatic increase in kidnappings for ransom in South Africa over the past decade. Josh Sullivan recounted that the men who were keeping him offered him food and water frequently, but when it came to the phone calls they had him make for ransom money, they would say things to him to try to make him afraid. Throughout those six days, Josh Sullivan said it was hard to tell how much time was passing. He knew when the sun rose and set, but other than that, not much happened to show the passing of time. On the final day, he said there were mixed signals from the men on if he would be staying at the home another night or if they would be taking him to another location. That night, another man he had not seen before brought him his shoes and told him they were leaving. That night, Josh Sullivan described how he felt the hand of the Lord intervene. Before that point, the men had used the shoelaces from Josh Sullivan's shoes to bind his hands, so the shoelaces had to be put back into his shoes. Then, as they led him to the vehicle with his head covered, he said he tripped on multiple steps because he could not see where he was going. All these actions slowed down the process, which the men were attempting to make go as quickly as possible. Once they were finally in the vehicle, Josh Sullivan's head was in one of the men's laps when shots rang out. The South African Police Service previously said that a multi-disciplinary law enforcement operation, known as the Hawks, led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation rescued Josh Sullivan. He explained that the officers who rescued him were actually going to a different location and made a wrong turn. That mistake led officers to the home he was being kept at, where the men who were holding him opened fire. The South African Police Service described what followed as a 'high-intensity shootout.' Once the gunfire ended, an officer checking the scene was surprised to find Josh Sullivan alive and asked if he was the American pastor that had been kidnapped. Hundreds evacuated, charges pending after gas leak in Maryville Sullivan described the events that led to his rescue as 'a miracle,' and 'the sovereign hand of God.' Within a few hours, Josh Sullivan was reunited with the rest of his family. The family had been moved to a safe house about an hour away, and Josh Sullivan added that both of his brothers-in-law travelled to South Africa to help look after his family. Meagan Sullivan said while her husband was kept captive, she wrote a letter of all the things he missed. She also said she heard from people in about 10 countries that they were praying for her family, and she knew there were thousands praying for them. Since his rescue, the family has returned to the United States to rest and recover, but both Josh and Meagan Sullivan said they feel they will go back to South Africa. Josh Sullivan explained they feel strongly that the gospel message needs to be shared in South Africa. Meagan Sullivan added that if she was asked years ago, she would not have believed she would such a strong love and calling to the people of South Africa, but when her husband is ready, they plan to return to their mission field and continue their life's work of helping save souls. Those interested in supporting the Sullivans can visit The family also shares prayer letters and more information about their work on their website, Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
16-04-2025
- New York Times
American Pastor Kidnapped in South Africa Is Rescued After Shootout
An American pastor who was abducted in South Africa last week was rescued on Tuesday after a dramatic shootout between the police and his kidnappers, which left three suspects dead, the South African police said. The pastor, Josh Sullivan, from Tennessee, was kidnapped on Thursday by four masked men as he was giving a sermon at the Fellowship Baptist church in Motherwell, a township in the Eastern Cape Province. He was then taken a few miles into the city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, the police said in a statement, and held in a safe house — a gated, concrete building. The police, after gathering intelligence, zeroed in on the house, said Lt. Col. Avele Fumba, a spokesman for the South African Police Service. When they arrived, they found a vehicle outside the building with several men inside. 'Upon seeing the police approaching, we believe that they panicked, and started opening fire,' Mr. Fumba said. A 'high-intensity' gun battle erupted and three suspects, whom the police have not identified, were killed, the police said. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered Mr. Sullivan. He was 'miraculously unharmed,' the police said, and is currently in 'excellent condition.' He was later reunited with his family, Mr. Fumba said. 'We're just ecstatically happy he's home safe and unhurt,' Mr. Sullivan's mother, Tonya Rinker, wrote in a text message. Mr. Sullivan, a 34-year-old father, moved to South Africa in 2018 with his wife and family on a mission for the Fellowship Baptist Church, where he has been a staff member for more than a decade, according to his personal website. 'We are looking to finish language school soon and plant a church to the Xhosa speaking people,' he wrote. On Thursday, as he was preaching to a congregation that included his wife and children, four masked men entered the building and stole two cellphones from members of the congregation, according to The Associated Press. Jeremy Hall, a spokesman for the family, told the South African publication Times Live that the men grabbed Mr. Sullivan's wife, Meagan Sullivan, and asked: 'Josh, is this your wife?' 'They knew his name,' Mr. Hall said. The men then pushed Ms. Sullivan to the ground, grabbed Mr. Sullivan and took off with him in his vehicle, Mr. Hall said. His vehicle was found abandoned a few hours later. After his abduction, Mr. Sullivan's kidnappers made a ransom demand, Mr. Fumba said, but he declined to give details because he said the case was still under investigation. After the demand was made, the case was transferred from the police to the Hawks, a specialized law enforcement team that investigates organized crimes and that led the operation at the safe house, Mr. Fumba said. While the motive of the suspects was still under investigation, Mr. Fumba said he believed the kidnapping was perpetrated by 'greedy youngsters' who were likely looking to make some 'quick cash.' The police are still looking for others who might have been involved in the abduction, he said. Kidnappings in South Africa have surged in the last decade, with about 17,000 cases reported between April 2023 and March 2024, according to the Institute for Security Studies, or I.S.S., an Africa-focused think tank. Kidnappings with ransom demands make up only about 5 percent of those abductions. The majority of kidnappings in the country are known as 'express kidnappings,' and typically involve a victim being held for a few hours and forced to make bank transfers or withdraw cash from ATMs, the I.S.S. wrote. While some kidnappings in South Africa are orchestrated by sophisticated transnational organized crime groups that seek out high-value targets, most are conducted by local crime groups, according to I.S.S.
NBC News
15-04-2025
- NBC News
The search goes on for American pastor kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa
The search continued Tuesday for an American pastor from Tennessee who was kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa last week while serving there as a missionary. Josh Sullivan, 35, had been living in South Africa with his wife Meagan and their children since 2018, The Associated Press reported, citing the Fellowship Baptist Church blog. But on Thursday evening, a group of armed men raided Sullivan's small congregation, a branch of the Fellowship Baptist Church in the southern town of Motherwell, as he was leading a prayer service, South African local police told the AP. Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said the pastor was taken captive and forced into his own truck, with the vehicle later found abandoned nearby. Beetge did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. Hawks, the branch of the South African Police Service which investigates organized crime, confirmed to NBC News in a statement on Tuesday that it was investigating Sullivan's abduction. It said it wanted to assure the public that its "top priority at this stage is safe return of the victim" and asked that anyone with information on the case come forward. The State Department said Friday in a statement that it was aware of reports of the kidnapping of a U.S. citizen in South Africa. As of Tuesday, Sullivan's whereabouts remained unknown, with his family calling for prayers for his safe return. A Maryville, Tennessee woman named Tonya Rinker who identifies Sullivan as her son on her Facebook page expressed heartbreak in a post asking for prayers for her son and their family. NBC News verified the authenticity of the post. 'My heart is breaking, please continue to pray for my son, daughter-in-law, grandkids and our family,' she wrote. 'They found his van abandoned but Joshua was kidnapped. I know he's doing God's work, and I also know he wouldn't change that.' In a separate post, she described Sullivan as 'my amazing, hilariously funny, charmingly witty, God-fearing, God-loving, God-called, God-serving, wonderful son.' She also countered reports suggesting he is 45 years old, writing that he is in fact 35. Rinker did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. In a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday, the Fellowship Baptist Church, which is based in Tennessee, urged its followers to 'please pray for Josh Sullivan,' saying that he had been 'kidnapped at gunpoint' by a group of men. In the days since his kidnapping, the church said in a separate post on Saturday that it had faced growing questions, including what it described as 'malicious and hateful' messages, about why it deploys missionaries. 'It is this — because God did and He told us to,' the church said.
