Man Arrested Following Late Night Boise Assault, Kidnapping

The Boise Greenbelt is one of our city's greatest treasures. A clean, beautiful walkway and bike path that follows the Boise River and nearly travels across the entire city.

For the second time in just about a week now, a major crime on Boise's greenbelt has many asking...what is going on?

Reports broke Sunday that late Saturday night, an arrest was made for felony assault and kidnapping, following an attack on an adult female near Ferguson & Park Boulevard on the Boise greenbelt.

Police released the following statement on Sunday afternoon:

On Saturday, July 11, 2026, at 10:55 p.m., dispatch received a report of someone screaming along the north side of the Boise River Greenbelt near S. Ferguson St. Evidence indicates an adult female victim was walking alone on the path when the suspect, later identified as Javier Ortiz, approached her from behind, physically assaulted her and pulled her off the path. Two uninvolved residents in the area heard the victim screaming and called 911. One of those residents went to figure out what was happening, found the victim and Ortiz, and immediately intervened. Ortiz ran away traveling westbound on the Greenbelt.

 

Stories like this in Boise are completely out of left field.

By 11:02 p.m., just seven minutes after receiving the call, Boise Police located and identified a man that turned out to be the suspect-- Javier Ortiz.

Police remind the public that while the Boise greenbelt is traditionally extremely safe, there are basic safety measure that everyone should be practicing while out on the greenbelt--or anywhere. Especially in the dark.

Most importantly, police want people to remember that they need to be aware of their surroundings, know their route, and avoid traveling alone, especially at night, as much as possible.

Thanks to nearby residents that were not only observant--but that took action when they thought something sounded off--the victim of these crimes was able to get away and police were able to quickly locate a suspect.