Man accused of kidnapping girlfriend is arrested in St. Johns County

Deputies had been looking for 40-year-old for a week

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. –  A man accused of kidnapping his girlfriend has been arrested, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said they 40-year-old Eric Van Maier was taken into custody Saturday.

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Last Saturday, according to the Sheriff's Office, someone saw a woman jump out of a moving truck as it was headed north on U.S. 1. She ran to a nearby construction site, asking for help.

The pickup truck circled the area and pulled back into the construction site. It was captured on surveillance video.

The man, who the woman indicated was her boyfriend, forcibly took control of the woman, dragging her back to the truck as she asked a citizen to call authorities, deputies said.

When the citizen tried to intervene, the man, whom deputies later identified as Van Maier, motioned threats to harm the person and then forced the woman into the truck before heading north again on U.S. 1 toward Jacksonville.  

According to deputies, the woman was located later in the evening. She has recovered from minor injuries. 

Van Maier's the truck was found  last Saturday night in the St. Augustine area, but deputies said he was no where near it.