Suspect Grabbed Woman By Neck, Held Screwdriver To Her Throat At Hudson Valley Home: Police

HAVERSTRAW, NY — A terrifying, violent incident led to a manhunt in Rockland County that ended Monday morning.

The Haverstraw Police Department says that on Sunday, around 5:25 p.m., officers were dispatched to a home in the Village of Haverstraw after receiving a report of a man who had grabbed a woman by the neck and then held a screwdriver to her.

Once at the scene, she told police that she had been approached outside a home by the suspect, who physically restrained her, grabbed her by the neck, and held a screwdriver to her throat. The victim was able to fight off the attacker and call for help, according to police.

Witnesses provided police with a description of both the suspect and his vehicle.

After reviewing video surveillance of the area, police were able to identify the suspect as 49-year-old Eduardo Hernandez, and issued a countywide alert for both Hernandez and his vehicle, police said.

On Monday, around 9:15 a.m., investigators found Hernandez's vehicle in Stony Point. After a traffic stop, police say he fled on foot through a residential neighborhood. Hernandez was soon captured without incident and taken to the Haverstraw Police Department, according to authorities.

The Garnerville man was charged with felony second-degree kidnapping, felony third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The Haverstraw Police Department thanked the FBI – Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, the Stony Point Police Department, the Rockland County Intelligence Center, and the Rockland County Sheriff's Office, for their assistance in the investigation and apprehension.

Anyone with additional information about the case is being asked to contact the Haverstraw Police Department at 845- 354-1500.