Riverton man charged with attempted murder and kidnapping after crash

DRAPER, Utah (ABC4) — A Riverton man has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated kidnapping after driving recklessly and crashing into a tree with a woman in his vehicle.

Daniel Hunter Dangerfield, 20, was charged in Third District Court today with two felony counts, one attempted murder and one of aggravated kidnapping.

According to police documents, the Draper City Police Department responded to a crash on Mar. 13, 2025. At the scene, officers determined that it was a domestic violence incident.

The female victim told police that she and Dangerfield had been discussing issues between them while in a parked vehicle. During the discussion, he reportedly harmed himself with a multitool knife. The victim told police he then turned the knife toward her, saying “he would rather be dead if he didn’t have her.”

According to documents, Dangerfield then began driving with the female victim in the vehicle. He reportedly drove over 100 miles per hour, frightening the victim and even allegedly unbuckling her seatbelt. The victim reportedly asked him to slow down and not to unbuckle the seatbelt.

As Dangerfield approached a left curve in the road, he allegedly sped up and turned the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to crash into a tree.

According to police documents, “Preliminary Crash Data Retrieval reports of the vehicle’s airbag control module revealed that the vehicle was traveling at speeds of over twice the 35 MPH speed limit, with the accelerator at 100% in the seconds before the crash.”

Those reports also revealed that Dangerfield had turned the steering wheel to the right in the seconds before the crash.

The female victim was transported to the Intermountain Medical Center and would have to undergo surgery for the injuries sustained in the crash.

Dangerfield is not currently in custody, but the judge has issued a warrant for his arrest.