Rockland County is once again wrestling with the fallout from a violent offender’s return to the community, after Eduardo Hernandez, 49, of Garnerville, admitted in court to a brutal kidnapping attempt outside a Haverstraw home last fall.
Hernandez pleaded guilty Wednesday to second‑degree kidnapping for the September 2025 attack and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2026. Prosecutors say the plea deal is expected to land him in state prison for roughly 14 years, a resolution that has stirred renewed concern locally about repeat violent offenders back on neighborhood streets.
The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office announced the plea, which was entered before Hon. Kevin F. Russo and reported by Newport Dispatch. That coverage notes the June 3, 2026 sentencing date.
Attack and arrest
According to a press release from the Rockland County District Attorney, the incident unfolded on Sept. 14, 2025, outside a residence in the Village of Haverstraw. Prosecutors say Hernandez approached a woman, grabbed her by the neck, and held a screwdriver to her throat while threatening to kill her.
The woman managed to fight him off and call for help. Investigators then relied on witness accounts and surveillance footage to identify a suspect vehicle. Police found the car the next morning in Stony Point, and when officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, Hernandez fled before being caught shortly afterward, according to the DA's office.
The Haverstraw Police Department, the Stony Point Police Department, and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office all assisted in the investigation, the DA’s office said.
Criminal history and release
Local reports, including coverage from AOL, say Hernandez was previously linked to attacks in 2002 and 2004 and had earlier pleaded guilty to first‑degree rape and second‑degree kidnapping. He served about 19 years in state prison and was released in March 2022, according to that reporting.
Daily Voice noted that Hernandez is a registered sex offender.
“When someone commits a violent act, the impact extends far beyond the victim,” District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II said in a statement released by his office. The DA’s Special Victims Unit is handling the prosecution, according to the DA's office.
What’s next
Kidnapping in the second degree is a class B felony under New York law and carries substantial prison time. The statute’s elements and jury instructions are detailed in State court guidance, which lays out exactly what prosecutors must prove for a conviction.
Prosecutors say Hernandez is expected to receive about 14 years under the plea agreement, with formal sentencing set for June 3, 2026. At that hearing, Judge Russo is slated to weigh Hernandez’s criminal history along with any statements from the victim or other impact testimony before imposing the final sentence.
