Man Kidnapped, Stuffed in the Trunk of His Own Car...and Dashcam Captures Moment Cops Figure It Out

(Photo: WTSP)

22-year-old Shawn Bloemer was saved from a potentially deadly situation last August by a stroke of luck, fate, or divine intervention-- and it's all on newly-released video.  There aren't many who are kidnapped and stuffed in the trunk of a car by violent strangers who live to tell the tale, but Bloemer made it.

WDRB relates:

Closing down Circle K on Taylorsville Road in August, Shawn Bloemer thought it was an ordinary night. A woman had come in a few times to buy snacks, and asked for a tire iron. He had noticed she and two men were having car trouble in the parking lot.

When he locked up for the night, he says he found those three people trying to steal a tire from his car -- and says [a man now identified as] Trent Blye started beating him. "He started to hit me, struck me in the head, punched me in the stomach a couple of times," said Bloemer. "They shoved me headfirst into the light post,"he added.

But he says it did not end there. "They stood me up, put a towel around my head, tied my wrists with a T-shirt, and put me in the trunk of my car," he explained. "Right before they closed the trunk they said this isn't personal, we need your car."

He believes he was in there for around three hours as they made several stops around town, including one where he remembers a man approaching the car and talking about heroin. Then, he says they became paranoid. "They started discussing how much trouble they would get in if they got caught, how much time they would have to do if something happened."  [Emphasis added]

Three were arrested and charged. (Photo: WDRB)

But at that point, Bloemer says he passed out.  When he came to, he heard the assertive tones of a police officer who had, ironically, pulled the gang over for Bloemer's expired license plates.

"I heard a voice and I could tell from his inflection or what have you that he was an officer," Bloemer recalled.  "He came back and asked about insurance, and that's when I started kicking and punching on the hood, yelling."

Officers Daniel Goldberg and Frederick Wilson can be seen calling for backup in the video, before drawing their guns and forcibly removing the car's occupants.

Soon enough, Bloemer said: "The trunk was popped, I exposed my hands like the officers asked me to do, they opened up the hood and there was probably 8 or 10 cop cars there."

Just a few weeks later, Bloemer was able to thank the officers at a ceremony honoring them for their quick thinking.

According to WDRB, the offenders have been charged with kidnapping, theft, and wanton endangerment.

Here's the rare video, via WTSP: