Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Kidnapping of a Rideshare Driver Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida Dateline: Miami, Florida Date: 5 December 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime, Taxicabs & Limousines Topic: Lyft

MIAMI – On Dec. 3, Miguel Alejandro Pastran Hernandez, 24, pled guilty to kidnapping a rideshare driver at gunpoint and forcing the victim to drive the defendant from Texas to South Florida.

On or about Aug. 16, at around 10:30 p.m., Victim 1 was working as a driver for a ride sharing application near Arlington, Texas, when Victim 1 picked up Pastran Hernandez. Victim 1 drove Pastran Hernandez to his destination, which was a gas station that appeared to be closed. After a short time, Victim 1 heard the click of a gun being chambered and saw Pastran Hernandez holding what appeared to be a firearm.  Victim 1 offered to give Pastran Hernandez the victim’s possessions and leave the vehicle, but Pastran Hernandez told Victim 1 that he was going to tie the victim up and put the victim in the back of the vehicle.

Instead of tying up Victim 1, Pastran Hernandez ordered Victim 1 to drive to Florida. Pastran Hernandez used a mobile application on his cellphone to see where law enforcement was located along the drive and instructed Victim 1 to avoid those areas. Pastran Hernandez told Victim 1 that he had other guns in the car, inside his luggage. While driving from Texas to Florida, Pastran Hernandez discovered that Victim 1 had a blue handgun in the vehicle. The firearm was unloaded, with the ammunition stored separately in the vehicle. Pastran Hernandez loaded the ammunition into the firearm and kept it on his person for the duration of the kidnapping. During the journey, Pastran Hernandez brandished that firearm at Victim 1 so that Victim 1 would follow his commands.

On or about Aug. 18, Pastran Hernandez and Victim 1 arrived in Miami Beach, Fla., where Pastran Hernandez surveilled the residence of another potential victim (Victim 2). Pastran Hernandez told Victim 1 that Victim 2 was a social media influencer and that Pastran Hernandez intended to kidnap Victim 2 or someone in Victim 2’s family for a $3,000,000 ransom.

On or about Aug. 19, Pastran Hernandez made Victim 1 drive to a store in Hialeah, Fla., to buy supplies for the kidnapping of Victim 2. Pastran Hernandez held onto Victim 1’s car keys, while Victim 1 used the restroom. Around that time, police officers arrived at the store and Pastran Hernandez fled the area on foot.

Law enforcement located Pastran Hernandez at a park in Hollywood, Fla. a few hours later. On Pastran Hernandez’s person, inside a cross-body bag, was Victim 1’s blue handgun. The firearm was loaded and had a bullet in the chamber.

Inside Pastran Hernandez’s backpack, which was in Victim 1’s car, law enforcement later discovered multiple Airsoft or BB guns, knives, a black mask, hat, sunglasses, binoculars, walkie-talkies, zip-ties, and other items.

Pastran Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20, 2025, before Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. He faces up to life in prison, following his guilty plea to charges of kidnapping, carjacking, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the charges.

FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hannah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20380.

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Public Affairs Unit

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Florida

USAFLS.News@usdoj.gov

Updated December 5, 2024