BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – A man who kidnapped a rideshare driver at gunpoint and forced the victim to drive from Texas to South Florida last year has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison, the Department of Justice confirmed in a news release Thursday.
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Miguel Alejandro Pastran Hernandez, 24, was sentenced Tuesday by Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga to 144 months behind bars.
The news release states that he received 60 months for kidnapping and carjacking, plus a mandatory 84-month sentence for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, to be served consecutively.
Prosecutors said Pastran Hernandez abducted the driver on Aug. 16, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.
Investigators said the victim had picked up Pastran Hernandez through a rideshare app and driven him to what appeared to be a closed gas station. Moments later, the driver heard the sound of a gun being chambered and saw the passenger pointing a gun.
Instead of letting the driver go, authorities said Pastran Hernandez forced the victim to drive over 1300 miles to South Florida.
Using a mobile app, they said he monitored police locations along the route, instructing the driver to avoid those areas.
During the trip, he discovered the victim’s unloaded firearm in the vehicle, loaded it, and brandished it repeatedly to maintain control, according to the DOJ.
Upon arriving in Miami Beach on Aug. 18, investigators said Pastran Hernandez surveilled the residence of another potential victim, who he identified as a social media influencer.
They said he allegedly told the driver he planned to kidnap the influencer or a family member for a $3 million ransom.
The next day, Pastran Hernandez forced the driver to a store in Hialeah to purchase supplies for the planned abduction.
While inside, the driver managed to escape and alert authorities. Pastran Hernandez fled but was found hours later at a park in Hollywood, police said.
Police confirmed that officers recovered the victim’s loaded firearm in Pastran Hernandez’s cross-body bag.
A search of his backpack in the victim’s vehicle revealed zip ties, knives, a mask, binoculars, walkie-talkies, and multiple Airsoft or BB guns.
Pastran Hernandez later admitted to law enforcement that he kidnapped the driver and held the victim against their will, according to police.
He was convicted of kidnapping, carjacking, and using a firearm in a violent crime.
