Topline: Investigators say the mother’s quick reaction may have stopped the attack as she screamed and resisted the man’s attempt to pull her away.
Published: November 4, 2025 12:00 pm ET
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Joshua Allen York (via Greene County Jail)
SPRINGFIELD, MO — A Missouri man is behind bars after authorities say he stalked a woman and her two-year-old son through a Target store, followed them home, and tried to drag the woman toward his vehicle as she held her child.
According to reporting by the Springfield Daily Citizen, 30-year-old Joshua Allen York faces multiple felony charges including first-degree kidnapping, first-degree stalking, and first-degree child endangerment.
Investigators say York and the woman had never met before the alleged attack. The Daily Citizen reports that the woman and her son arrived at the Target on East Primrose Street around 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 15. Surveillance video allegedly showed York already inside the store, “wandering around” until he noticed the woman and began following her through the aisles.
After she checked out and left, York allegedly got into a black GMC Terrain and followed her from the parking lot, according to Ozarks First. Traffic cameras across Springfield later captured his SUV trailing the woman’s vehicle as she drove home to her southwest Springfield apartment complex.
Once there, the woman parked and began carrying groceries inside while her son slept in the car. On her final trip, she picked up her child and her purse — but, as she later told police, “got a feeling she should look behind her.” When she turned around, she allegedly saw York crouching behind a nearby car.
According to the probable cause statement cited by Law&Crime, the woman yelled, “What are you doing?” York then stood up, rushed toward her, and grabbed her by the waist, attempting to pull her toward the parking lot. Holding her child, she screamed “like a mad woman,” according to her statement to police, and fought back. York allegedly pushed both her and her son to the ground before fleeing toward his SUV.
A witness driving through the parking lot said she heard a “bloody-murder scream,” got out of her car, and saw a white man sprinting away before jumping into a black SUV and speeding off, Ozarks First reported. Another neighbor told investigators he heard the screams, armed himself, and went outside to find the woman and her child on the ground. She pointed toward the fleeing vehicle.
Police traced the license plate through surveillance footage, which also showed a man wearing a shirt bearing the logo of JY Executive Auto Detailing, a business York owns, according to Law&Crime.
York was interviewed by detectives on Oct. 31. As Ozarks First reports, he told officers he saw the woman at Target and told her she was “cute.” He claimed she invited him to her apartment but changed her mind after they arrived, angering him. He allegedly admitted demanding $20 from her before leaving, insisting the incident was a misunderstanding.
Court documents cited by Law&Crime say York has prior convictions for theft and peace disturbance. The outlet also reports he has been accused of harassing a former girlfriend and, according to another ex, was once found with a woman’s underwear hidden under his bed.
York remains in the Greene County Jail without bond.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Missouri Man Followed Mother, Toddler From Target—Then Tried to Kidnap Her in His SUV
Investigators say the mother’s quick reaction may have stopped the attack as she screamed and resisted the man’s attempt to pull her away.
By Jacob Charles
Published: November 4, 2025 12:00 pm ET
Joshua Allen York (via Greene County Jail)
SPRINGFIELD, MO — A Missouri man is behind bars after authorities say he stalked a woman and her two-year-old son through a Target store, followed them home, and tried to drag the woman toward his vehicle as she held her child.
According to reporting by the Springfield Daily Citizen, 30-year-old Joshua Allen York faces multiple felony charges including first-degree kidnapping, first-degree stalking, and first-degree child endangerment.
Investigators say York and the woman had never met before the alleged attack. The Daily Citizen reports that the woman and her son arrived at the Target on East Primrose Street around 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 15. Surveillance video allegedly showed York already inside the store, “wandering around” until he noticed the woman and began following her through the aisles.
After she checked out and left, York allegedly got into a black GMC Terrain and followed her from the parking lot, according to Ozarks First. Traffic cameras across Springfield later captured his SUV trailing the woman’s vehicle as she drove home to her southwest Springfield apartment complex.
Once there, the woman parked and began carrying groceries inside while her son slept in the car. On her final trip, she picked up her child and her purse — but, as she later told police, “got a feeling she should look behind her.” When she turned around, she allegedly saw York crouching behind a nearby car.
According to the probable cause statement cited by Law&Crime, the woman yelled, “What are you doing?” York then stood up, rushed toward her, and grabbed her by the waist, attempting to pull her toward the parking lot. Holding her child, she screamed “like a mad woman,” according to her statement to police, and fought back. York allegedly pushed both her and her son to the ground before fleeing toward his SUV.
A witness driving through the parking lot said she heard a “bloody-murder scream,” got out of her car, and saw a white man sprinting away before jumping into a black SUV and speeding off, Ozarks First reported. Another neighbor told investigators he heard the screams, armed himself, and went outside to find the woman and her child on the ground. She pointed toward the fleeing vehicle.
Police traced the license plate through surveillance footage, which also showed a man wearing a shirt bearing the logo of JY Executive Auto Detailing, a business York owns, according to Law&Crime.
York was interviewed by detectives on Oct. 31. As Ozarks First reports, he told officers he saw the woman at Target and told her she was “cute.” He claimed she invited him to her apartment but changed her mind after they arrived, angering him. He allegedly admitted demanding $20 from her before leaving, insisting the incident was a misunderstanding.
Court documents cited by Law&Crime say York has prior convictions for theft and peace disturbance. The outlet also reports he has been accused of harassing a former girlfriend and, according to another ex, was once found with a woman’s underwear hidden under his bed.
York remains in the Greene County Jail without bond.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Missouri Man Followed Mother, Toddler From Target—Then Tried to Kidnap Her in His SUV
Investigators say the mother’s quick reaction may have stopped the attack as she screamed and resisted the man’s attempt to pull her away.
By Jacob Charles
Published: November 4, 2025 12:00 pm ET
Joshua Allen York (via Greene County Jail)
SPRINGFIELD, MO — A Missouri man is behind bars after authorities say he stalked a woman and her two-year-old son through a Target store, followed them home, and tried to drag the woman toward his vehicle as she held her child.
According to reporting by the Springfield Daily Citizen, 30-year-old Joshua Allen York faces multiple felony charges including first-degree kidnapping, first-degree stalking, and first-degree child endangerment.
Investigators say York and the woman had never met before the alleged attack. The Daily Citizen reports that the woman and her son arrived at the Target on East Primrose Street around 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 15. Surveillance video allegedly showed York already inside the store, “wandering around” until he noticed the woman and began following her through the aisles.
After she checked out and left, York allegedly got into a black GMC Terrain and followed her from the parking lot, according to Ozarks First. Traffic cameras across Springfield later captured his SUV trailing the woman’s vehicle as she drove home to her southwest Springfield apartment complex.
Once there, the woman parked and began carrying groceries inside while her son slept in the car. On her final trip, she picked up her child and her purse — but, as she later told police, “got a feeling she should look behind her.” When she turned around, she allegedly saw York crouching behind a nearby car.
According to the probable cause statement cited by Law&Crime, the woman yelled, “What are you doing?” York then stood up, rushed toward her, and grabbed her by the waist, attempting to pull her toward the parking lot. Holding her child, she screamed “like a mad woman,” according to her statement to police, and fought back. York allegedly pushed both her and her son to the ground before fleeing toward his SUV.
A witness driving through the parking lot said she heard a “bloody-murder scream,” got out of her car, and saw a white man sprinting away before jumping into a black SUV and speeding off, Ozarks First reported. Another neighbor told investigators he heard the screams, armed himself, and went outside to find the woman and her child on the ground. She pointed toward the fleeing vehicle.
Police traced the license plate through surveillance footage, which also showed a man wearing a shirt bearing the logo of JY Executive Auto Detailing, a business York owns, according to Law&Crime.
York was interviewed by detectives on Oct. 31. As Ozarks First reports, he told officers he saw the woman at Target and told her she was “cute.” He claimed she invited him to her apartment but changed her mind after they arrived, angering him. He allegedly admitted demanding $20 from her before leaving, insisting the incident was a misunderstanding.
Court documents cited by Law&Crime say York has prior convictions for theft and peace disturbance. The outlet also reports he has been accused of harassing a former girlfriend and, according to another ex, was once found with a woman’s underwear hidden under his bed.
York remains in the Greene County Jail without bond.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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