Haverstraw police have arrested a Garnerville man accused of attacking a woman with a screwdriver in the Village of Haverstraw.
Police said the incident occurred on September 14 at about 5:25 p.m., when officers were dispatched to a residential address after reports that a man had grabbed a woman by the neck and held a screwdriver to her throat. According to investigators, the woman was able to fight off her attacker and call for help.
Witnesses in the area provided officers with descriptions of both the suspect and his vehicle. Detectives later used video surveillance to identify the suspect, leading police to issue a countywide alert.
The following morning, September 15, at around 9:15 a.m., investigators located the suspect’s vehicle in Stony Point. Police said the suspect fled on foot through a residential neighborhood after a traffic stop was attempted, but he was quickly apprehended without further incident and transported to the Haverstraw Police Department.
The suspect has been identified as 49-year-old Eduardo Hernandez of Garnerville. He has been charged with kidnapping in the second degree, a Class B felony; criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony; and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, a Class A misdemeanor.
The Haverstraw Police Department credited the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, the Stony Point Police Department, the Rockland County Intelligence Center, and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office for assisting in the investigation and arrest.
Authorities said the case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Haverstraw Police Department at 845-354-1500. Officials emphasized that the charges are accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.