A 25-year-old woman allegedly was abducted at knifepoint in downtown DeKalb by a man who was in the back seat as she entered her locked vehicle.

The woman took a break from her job about 8 p.m. Tuesday night and entered her truck. She then apparently drove about a half block and at that point, a man in the back seat sat up and placed a double-edged knife at her throat. The man instructed the woman to continue driving around DeKalb.

DeKalb Police Lt. Richard Moudy said this went on for several hours. From time to time, the man apparently told the woman to pull over in parking lots where they sat, he said. Later she was told to resume driving again. This pattern allegedly went on until after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

At no point were there any threats of criminal sexual assault made against the woman and sexual assault was not committed, Moudy said.

He said the alleged perpetrator was described as being a reasonably short black man, perhaps in his mid-20s. He had about a two-day beard growth and was wearing a hooded jacket or sweatshirt of some type, Moudy said.

At one point, when the woman was told to pull over in the parking lot of a motel on West Lincoln Highway, the woman “seized the moment,” Moudy said. She was able to open her door and jump out of the truck. The man chased her and then a scuffle ensued.

She escaped again after the scuffle and ran to the lobby of another motel on West Lincoln Highway. At that point, she called DeKalb Police, Moudy said. The man apparently left the area, but he did not take her vehicle.

The woman sustained minor injuries to one side of her face and the right side of her neck. She required some medical attention, but was released from Kishwaukee Community Hospital Wednesday.

Moudy said the vehicle was locked when the woman went to work and still was locked when she entered it during her break. Nothing in the truck was damaged or stolen.

This case is considered aggravated battery and unlawful restraint, Moudy said.

“One should always be careful, and we encourage people to check the back seats of their vehicles before they get in,” Moudy said.

Officers from the DeKalb Police Department and the University Police advised individuals to lock their doors when leaving their vehicles and visually check in and around vehicles before entering them.

DeKalb Police Chief Donald Berke and University Police Sgt. Debbie Pettit both said they could not recall any incident similar to this in DeKalb.

Investigation is continuing in the case.