Amish Woman Targeted In Attempted Abduction In Lancaster County — Police Seek Gray Pickup
A truly disturbing incident happened yesterday in the Lancaster County Amish community, and police are asking for the public’s help.
An Amish woman was targeted in an attempted abduction on Wednesday, October 14, along Creek Road southwest of Atglen, Pennsylvania, in Sadsbury Township in Lancaster County. Police are now asking for help finding a gray pickup truck.
This is especially disturbing given that this is the same Amish community where 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos was abducted and murdered in 2020.
Police Seek Gray Chevy Silverado
The Parkesburg Borough Police Department posted an alert on Instagram earlier this afternoon (Thursday, October 15). They want local residents to check their home camera systems for the suspect’s vehicle:
The PARKESBURG BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT is attempting to assist the PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE Lancaster Barracks regarding the report of an attempted abduction of an Amish woman that occurred yesterday in the area of Creek Road, south west of Atglen Borough.
We are asking residents to check their home surveillance systems for the pictured vehicle: Chevrolet Silverado Possibly a NJ registration license plate Dark in color (gray) Time frame to be reviewed should be from 3:30pm to 6:00pm (Wednesday, October 14, 2026).
Specifically, any residents along Steelville Mill Road, Main Street, and Fallowfield Road in Atglen Borough are encouraged to review any footage they may have. The vehicle in question also displays unidentified decals on the rear windshield.
Anyone having additional information or relevant video surveillance is asked to contact Officer Fonock at jfonock@parkesburgpolice.gov or call the station at (610) 857-3535.
So again, police are looking for a dark gray Chevrolet Silverado, possibly with New Jersey plates, with unidentified decals on the rear windshield. We know they have at least one photo of the vehicle in question; here’s the full image as released by the department:
The text posted above is the entire release. Police have not disclosed details on how the attempt happened, whether the woman was hurt, or her age.
Atglen is a small borough in western Chester County, right at the Lancaster County line. Chester County is home to many Amish people who would be considered part of the Lancaster County community; the Amish settlement extends well into the county. Note: this post originally placed the incident in Chester County, but new reporting has it in Lancaster County.
Other Attempts To Abduct Amish People
I hate to say that this is not the first time Amish people have been targeted this way in recent years.
I already mentioned Linda Stoltzfoos. The 18-year-old was abducted in June 2020 while walking home from church in the Bird-in-Hand area of Lancaster County. A saga unfolded over months where a traumatized family and community sought to find her, until it later turned out that she had been murdered.
A local man was arrested and charged with kidnapping several weeks after she disappeared, later pleaded guilty in her death, and received a punishment described by the district attorney as “effectively…a life sentence.”
And there have been others, even fairly recently. In September 2025, a 9-year-old Amish boy escaped after a man forced him into a vehicle at a pumpkin stand in Juniata County, Pennsylvania. A man was later arrested and charged with kidnapping in that case.
In October 2025, men posing as customers attacked an Amish family at their cabinet business in Geauga County, Ohio, and tried to abduct an 8-year-old boy, who got away. And in February 2025, a man assaulted and tried to carry off a 16-year-old Amish girl at a coffee shop in Arthur, Illinois, before a 20-year-old Amish woman chased him and got him to let her go.
This latest incident makes your skin crawl. I can’t imagine what people in the community, as well as Linda Stoltzfoos’ family, might be feeling right now.
As we see here, and from these other cases, there are some sick people out there. Thank God the woman got away.
Once again, anyone with information or surveillance footage of the truck is asked to contact Officer Fonock at jfonock@parkesburgpolice.gov or call the Parkesburg Borough Police Department at (610) 857-3535.
Here’s the department’s release on Instagram, which is the only place I’ve found it online so far:
View this post on Instagram
Update: State Police Describe Incident As An Assault; Victim’s Age & Time Of Assault Released
Pennsylvania State Police have now released some additional details, and several outlets are reporting the incident as an assault. ABC27 reports the woman was injured:
STEELVILLE, Pa. (WHTM) — State troopers are investigating a reported assault on an Amish woman in Lancaster County.
According to the State Police at Lancaster, the incident was reported Wednesday and happened at some time between 4 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. in the 300 block of Creek Road in Sadsbury Township.
There, a 23-year-old Amish woman was reportedly injured.
The Lancaster County Criminal Investigation Unit and the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office are also involved in the investigation.
The new reporting I’ve seen does not mention the truck or an attempted abduction. However, the Parkesburg Borough Police Department’s attempted abduction alert remains posted on Instagram as of Friday morning.
Anyone with information is asked to contact State Police in Lancaster at (717) 299-7650.
Entführungsversuch
Ich hoffe und bete, dass die Polizei möglichst bald den Verbrecher in Haft nehmen wird! Die stillen, friedvollen Menschen gelten viel zu oft als Zielscheibe der denkbar schlimmsten Gauner. Möge Gott dieser lieben amischen Frau und der Gemeinde Frieden und Trost trotz allem zukommen lassen.