WCPD / Warrant-Fugitive Unit
He should have stayed in the old country.
A convicted robber who fled to his native Nicaragua more than four decades ago has been brought back to Westchester to face the prison sentence he ran from in 1982. He had been a fugitive from justice until his arrest in Florida earlier this year.
Noel Hernandez, now age 64, was charged by the Yonkers Police Department in January 1981 with Robbery 1st Degree. He was convicted at trial but fled prior to his sentencing in June 1982. He was sentenced in abstentia to 6.5 to 20 years in state prison.
Initial investigation determined that he most likely returned to Nicaragua. A Bail Jumping indictment was filed by the Westchester County District’s Attorney Office. The case was never closed but went cold.
On Feb. 20 of this year, the Warrant-Fugitive was contacted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm that our warrant for Hernandez was still active. That agency had determined that Hernandez re-entered the United States in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 8, 2022. He listed his residence as Nicaragua and his intended destination as Miami. He was initially detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection but then released, apparently due to overcrowding in the federal Bureau of Prisons holding facility.
After follow up investigation by WFU detectives and federal authorities, including the US Marshals Service, a possible address for Hernandez was developed in the Miami area. A request for arrest was forward to the US Marshals Task Force in Miami. On July 9, 2024, members of the US Marshals Task Force in Florida arrested Hernandez at the address.
Hernandez declined to sign a waiver of extradition and a Governor’s warrant application was prepared by the WC DA’s Office. Following court proceedings in Florida, Hernandez was ordered to be returned to Westchester. He was picked up on Friday by members of the WCPD Warrant Fugitive Unit, flown back to Westchester, and lodged at the County Jail.
