shifter is stuck......

Hello, I have a 99 4x4 with 120,000 miles on it.
I let a friend use the truck so he could move, when I got the truck back I had a hard time moving the shift lever into gear, You really have to pull on it to move the lever into gear. I asked him what the hell he did to my truck and he said,I did nothing it was like that.WTF
I think he pulled it into gear with out pressing the brake pedal.
Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Or had it happen to them?
Any info on how the shifter works would be helpful. BTW it's an auto.

Three components. The neutral safety switch, the stop light switch and the lock solenoid. The lock solenoid is located right side of column around the dash column support. Book says to use a screwdriver to pry it off the column.

Pull the "turn b/u" fuse out of the ip fuse block. Turn the key to "run" and see if it will shift out of park. If it will then there is a problem with the safety switch or the brake switch. If it won't then it is a problem with the lock solenoid assy............Steve

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

These trucks have a two piece shift cable also. They are coupled together directly under the drivers seat on the under carriage. Look to see if that junction has blown apart. It uses plastic compression clips to hold itself together.