Man accused of attempting to kidnap ex-girlfriend while armed with AK-47 turns himself in, Volusia deputies say

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Update: Joshua Miranda Rivera turned himself in at the Volusia County Branch Jail on Monday, the Sheriff’s Office said.

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Volusia County deputies are searching for an Orlando man who attempted to kidnapped his ex-girlfriend.

Around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a Deltona woman told deputies, Joshua Miranda Rivera came to her house and choked her.

Rivera then armed himself with an AK-47 and forced the woman to leave with him, deputies said.

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The woman said Rivera told her they were going for a ride and forced her to drive. She tried to turn around and drive back home, and at one point, she got out of the vehicle and tried to walk home.

Rivera then chased the woman and forced her back into the driver’s seat and sat on top of her while she was driving toward Seminole County on State Road 416, the woman said.

The woman told deputies she managed to escape out of the vehicle again, in the area of State Road 415 and State Road 46. She said she hid under some foliage before running to a nearby residence for help.

Deputies said Rivera took the woman’s car and phone and left the area.

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The woman was not injured in the kidnapping, deputies said.

The woman said she and Rivera had recently broke up after dating for about nine months and Rivera was angry about text message on her phone.

The woman told deputies Rivera said he would shoot her and the person she had been texting.

Anyone with information regarding Rivera’s whereabouts is asked to call 911.

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