A woman restrained inside a moving car reached emergency dispatchers before deputies stopped the vehicle on Interstate 41.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A woman secretly reached 911 from the back seat of a car May 29, leading deputies to stop the vehicle and arrest a 22-year-old man accused of kidnapping her at gunpoint and threatening sexual violence.

The traffic stop ended what prosecutors describe as an abduction planned around a supposed date, a gift and a trip to a lake house several hours from Milwaukee. Angelo Liberto of Franklin has pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree sexual assault, kidnapping and false imprisonment. Each count includes an allegation that he used a dangerous weapon. The woman was released during the stop, and authorities reported finding a revolver, a knife, handcuffs and numerous tools and restraints in the vehicle.

The woman’s calls for help began as Liberto drove north, according to the criminal complaint. Her phone was initially set to airplane mode, preventing the first attempts from connecting. She continued trying while handcuffed in the rear seat and eventually reached 911. She also tried to contact her mother and a friend. Investigators said Liberto was talking during the calls, at times praising the woman and at other times accusing her of lying and seeing other people. The woman told police he had said they were going to a lake house four hours away. When she asked whether he intended to sexually assault her, the complaint says he answered yes. She reported that he refused to remove the handcuffs and told her, “We are at the point of no return.” The woman later said she believed she would be killed.

Emergency information from the call helped law enforcement locate the car, though publicly available reports give different times for parts of the response. The criminal complaint, as summarized by local news outlets, says a deputy spotted the vehicle shortly after 11 p.m. on I-41 and conducted a traffic stop. Another account says a Milwaukee police detective responded about 5:30 a.m. May 30 to northbound I-41 near mile marker 75 as part of the kidnapping investigation. Those reports do not fully explain the gap between the stop and the later detective response. Authorities have not publicly released the full 911 recording, the exact route of the car or the location where Liberto allegedly first displayed the gun.

During the stop, a deputy saw a handgun, pocketknife and handcuffs in plain view, the complaint says. Officers removed the woman from the car and arrested Liberto. Investigators later identified the firearm as a Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver. The complaint says officers also recovered duct tape, a handgun case, a hacksaw, a tarp, gloves, headlamps, bondage restraints, a hogtie kit and an unopened length of chain. Other reported items included a shovel, a 36-inch wrecking bar, hydrogen peroxide, condoms, lubricant, an unopened package of women’s underwear, erectile dysfunction medication and an unidentified clear liquid with no noticeable odor. Prosecutors have not said that every object was intended for a crime, but they included the collection in the complaint as evidence related to the alleged plan.

The confrontation allegedly began before the car entered the freeway. The woman had planned to meet Liberto at a bar after work May 29, according to the complaint. When he arrived, she saw lotion and chocolates in the back seat. She moved toward the front passenger seat, but Liberto told her another surprise was waiting in the rear and directed her to sit there. After they drove away, he allegedly pulled over at an unidentified location and told her that she should have been scared. The complaint says he then produced the revolver and demanded her phone. She refused unless he put the weapon down and tried to take the gun during a struggle. Liberto allegedly told her it was not loaded, but police have not publicly said whether ammunition was inside the revolver when it was recovered.

The woman managed to gain control of the firearm for a time, according to investigators, but she could not get out of the car. The complaint says the rear doors had child-safety locks engaged. Liberto then allegedly displayed a knife and directed her to put on handcuffs that were attached near a rear door. She complied after he threatened her with the blade. Liberto entered the freeway while she remained restrained. The woman repeatedly told him he was frightening her, the complaint says. He allegedly demanded the password to her phone, called her names and accused her of being involved with other people. Investigators have not disclosed whether he was able to open the device or saw the calls she placed.

The woman had known Liberto for months before the drive. She told detectives they met through mutual friends in September 2025 and went on several dates. She said she repeatedly explained that she did not want a romantic relationship and wanted to remain friends. Liberto complained that she would not let him kiss her or hold her hand, according to the complaint. Several days before the planned bar visit, he allegedly arrived at her home without warning at about 1 a.m. and said he had a surprise. The woman told him he had crossed a boundary and needed to leave. She later sent him a message saying it was the second time he had ignored limits she had set. Authorities have not publicly released those messages.

While driving toward the reported lake-house destination, Liberto allegedly admitted damaging the woman’s vehicle during an earlier incident. He told her they would stay at the property for several days and said he intended to use her as he believed she had used him, the complaint says. The woman asked what would happen afterward. Investigators said Liberto responded that people sometimes kill others after doing bad things because they fear being caught. The complaint does not identify the lake house, establish that Liberto owned or had access to such a property or state whether investigators later searched one. It also does not say how far the car had traveled before deputies intervened.

Liberto was booked into the Milwaukee County Jail after the rescue. Prosecutors charged him with attempted second-degree sexual assault by use of force, kidnapping by forcibly carrying a person and false imprisonment. Dangerous-weapon allegations were attached to the counts. The offenses carry the possibility of decades in prison if he is convicted, though any sentence would depend on the final charges, verdicts and decisions by a judge. A criminal complaint presents allegations that prosecutors must prove in court. Liberto is presumed innocent unless found guilty.

Bond became a contested issue during the early court proceedings. Liberto was initially reported held on $200,000 cash bond. At a June hearing, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson said another jail inmate reported that Liberto had admitted the conduct and talked about harming the woman again if released. News reports said a judge increased bond to $2 million after hearing that allegation. Defense attorney Chris Carson disputed the woman’s account and said Liberto “adamantly” denied wrongdoing. A later FOX6 report published June 16 said court records listed a $200,000 cash bond, creating an apparent difference among public reports. The reason for that difference was not explained in the reviewed coverage.

Liberto entered not-guilty pleas to the three Milwaukee County felonies on June 16, according to court records cited by FOX6. That report also said prosecutors in neighboring Washington County had filed a separate false-imprisonment charge, though details of that accusation were not included. Liberto had not yet appeared on the separate charge when the report was published. Prosecutors will have to produce evidence and witnesses as the Milwaukee County case advances, while the defense may challenge the woman’s account, the searches, statements attributed to Liberto and the meaning of items recovered from the car.

The woman’s name has not been released, which is common in cases involving allegations of sexual violence. Public reports do not describe serious physical injuries, but the complaint details repeated threats, confinement and fear during the drive. The central evidence is expected to include her testimony, the 911 call, telephone records, the traffic stop, items seized from the vehicle and any statements investigators can lawfully introduce. Authorities have not released police body-camera video, dispatch audio, laboratory testing or a complete inventory showing where each object was found.

The case remains pending in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, where Liberto has denied the charges. No trial date was included in the reviewed reports. The next major steps are expected to include evidence exchanges, pretrial hearings and decisions over which statements and seized items may be presented to a jury.

Author note: Last updated July 10, 2026.