Adam Hoover, 20, posted a message on Facebook Tuesday afternoon saying that he had been trapped in the trunk of his Ford Escort by unknown assailants.

"They said they are going to kill my family," he wrote "Please call 911 I don't want them to hear me ... Please please call. I don't want to die."

After the post was discovered, the hashtag #FindAdamHoover began circulating and police across the area began a frantic search. Eventually Hoover's car was discovered abandoned on a highway near the Ohio-Indiana border.

Police found Hoover after a Miami Township resident called 911, saying someone had knocked on their door looking for help.

After talking with the activist, though, police say it was "readily apparent" the incident was a hoax.

Hoover, who helped to found Marriage Equality Ohio, was taken to a hospital for evaluation, and later charged with making false statements.

"This is a young man dealing with some issues in his life right now, and for whatever reason he decided to stage this kidnapping and abduction," said a police spokesperson. "The bottom line is, he made allegations that he was abducted and that turned out not to be true."