Miguel Alejandro Pastran-Hernandez, 24, pled guilty on December 3, 2024, to charges of kidnapping a rideshare driver at gunpoint and forcing the victim to drive him from Texas to South Florida, with plans to execute a $3 million ransom plot. Pastran Hernandez now faces up to life in prison after his guilty plea. He is scheduled for sentencing on February 20, 2025, before Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga.
The harrowing incident began on the evening of August 16, 2024, at around 10:30 p.m. Victim 1, a driver for a rideshare application, picked up Pastran Hernandez in Arlington, Texas. After driving him to what appeared to be a closed gas station, Victim 1 was confronted by Pastran Hernandez, who pulled out a firearm and threatened the driver. The victim offered to hand over his possessions and leave the vehicle, but Pastran Hernandez insisted that he would tie the victim up and place him in the back of the vehicle. However, instead of restraining the victim, Pastran Hernandez ordered him to drive to Florida.
Throughout the drive, Pastran Hernandez used a mobile app to track law enforcement locations and instructed the victim to avoid areas where police were present. He also revealed that he had additional firearms inside his luggage. At one point during the drive, Pastran Hernandez discovered that the victim had a blue handgun in the vehicle. The handgun, however, was unloaded, and the ammunition was stored separately. Pastran Hernandez loaded the ammunition into the firearm and kept it on his person for the remainder of the kidnapping, brandishing the weapon multiple times to ensure the victim complied with his commands.
By August 18, 2024, the pair arrived in Miami Beach, where Pastran Hernandez surveilled a residence belonging to Victim 2, a social media influencer. Pastran Hernandez informed Victim 1 that he intended to kidnap either Victim 2 or a member of their family and demand a $3 million ransom.
On August 19, Pastran Hernandez made Victim 1 drive to a store in Hialeah, Florida, where he purchased supplies to aid in the kidnapping of Victim 2. While Victim 1 briefly left the vehicle to use the restroom, Pastran Hernandez remained inside, holding the car keys. Law enforcement officers arrived at the store during this time, and Pastran Hernandez fled the scene on foot.
Hours later, Pastran Hernandez was located by law enforcement at a park in Hollywood, Florida. He was arrested and found in possession of Victim 1’s blue handgun, which was now loaded. Inside Pastran Hernandez’s backpack, which had been in Victim 1’s vehicle, investigators discovered multiple weapons, including Airsoft or BB guns, knives, a black mask, sunglasses, binoculars, walkie-talkies, zip ties, and other materials that pointed to his kidnapping plans.
Pastran Hernandez was charged with kidnapping, carjacking, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. His arrest brought an end to a terrifying cross-country ordeal for Victim 1, who was forced to drive across multiple states under threat of death.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hannah is prosecuting the case, and Pastran Hernandez is set to be sentenced after the court evaluates his case using the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.