An American preacher kidnapped while delivering a sermon in a South African township has been rescued following a gun battle between police and his captors, local authorities said Wednesday.
Josh Sullivan, 45, was abducted last Thursday during an evening church service in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape province, according to the Fellowship Baptist Church.
The South African Police Service launched a rescue mission after receiving intelligence indicating Sullivan was being held in a house in KwaMagxaki, another township in the city.
Officers arriving at the location encountered gunfire from the suspects, who attempted to flee in a vehicle. A police statement described a “high-intensity shootout” that left three unidentified suspects dead.
“As officers approached the house, they observed a vehicle on the premises. The suspects inside the vehicle upon seeing law enforcement allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the team,” the statement read.
Sullivan, a native of Tennessee, was found inside the vehicle and was “miraculously unharmed,” police confirmed. He is currently in “excellent condition,” according to the statement.
Tom Hatley, who Sullivan identified on his website as his mentor, confirmed the rescue in a Facebook post. “Josh has been released,” Hatley wrote alongside a photograph of Sullivan with his family.
He urged the public to respect the family’s privacy, adding, “A lot of folks love The Sullivans and they love you back, but give them some time.”
Sullivan describes himself as a “church planting missionary” and wrote on his website that he arrived in South Africa in 2018 with the aim of completing language school and establishing a church for Xhosa-speaking communities.
The case highlights the growing problem of kidnapping in South Africa, where authorities reported an average of 51 abductions per day in 2023. The country also struggles with violent crime, including mass shootings and a high murder rate.
Sullivan’s abduction followed the killing of Islamic cleric Muhsin Hendricks, who was shot dead in Bethelsdorp, also in Eastern Cape, in February.
