A pizza delivery man rescues a woman held hostage by an ex, greets a hero

A pizza delivery driver in Wisconsin helped rescue a woman held hostage by a violent ex-boyfriend. Joey Grundl's courageous actions led to the arrest of a 55-year-old man, Grafton, who allegedly abducted and beat his ex-girlfriend.

Police said Grundl noticed a woman inside the house who said "help me" when he delivered a Domino's Pizza.

Dean Hoffman, 55, is accused of kidnapping his girlfriend and beating her on 27 September. A driver delivering pizza would have helped save the woman. Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office

"It's a bit scary," Grundl told WTKR. "I gave him his pizza and noticed behind him was his girlfriend. She pointed to a black eye that was clearly visible. She said the words "call the police".

The victim, 57, reportedly began dating Dean Hoffmann, 55, in 2016 and would have lived with her until August 2018, a criminal complaint announced. When the couple separated, the woman moved to a new home.

On 27 September, Hoffmann reportedly entered the victim's home without knocking on the door or obtaining permission. When the victim told him to leave and grabbed his phone to call the police, Hoffmann would have ripped off the phone, grabbed it and dragged him to the stairs.

Hoffmann reportedly pushed the victim, who fell on his back in the staircase. He then pulled her hair and tore her shirt, trying to drag her down the stairs. The woman told the detectives that she had tried to escape by hitting Hoffmann in the groin. However, he hit her face, giving her a bloody nose and a black eye.

The complaint revealed that Hoffmann had decided to lock them in the bathroom while the victim was taking care of his bloody nose. Hoffmann then forced the woman to climb up the stairs and settle on her bed, where he tied her feet and hands and put a towel in her mouth.

The investigators said the woman had trouble breathing and was afraid to die while Hoffmann tied her up. He ended up loosing her, but did not allow the woman to leave home for several hours.

The woman said that she had told Hoffmann, "If you love me, you will let me go." He would have answered, "You know I can not do that. both.

Hoffmann ordered a pizza. It was at this point that Grundl saw him and called 911. When the police arrived, Hoffmann first prevented the victim from opening the door. He then surrendered and was arrested without incident.

The Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to NewsweekRequest for comments.

Hoffmann was charged with kidnapping, choking, strangling, illegal imprisoning and intimidating a victim. He is not listed as an inmate at the Sheboygan County Adult Detention Center.