Rockland County District Attorney's Office

5TH GRAND JURY TERM OF 2026 CONCLUDES

NEW CITY, N.Y. – District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announces the completion of the 5th grand jury term of 2026. The grand jury term started on May 1, 2026, and was completed on May 27, 2026, handing up 14 indictments. The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office is committed to seeking justice for the people of Rockland County in a speedy manner in accordance with the law. The following is a list of indicted cases:

• Nestor Sinchi-Sinchi – Driving While Intoxicated as a Felony-Two Counts: Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the First Degree.

• Mark Bodalski – Attempted Arson in the Second Degree.

• Peter Theus – Attempted Assault in the First Degree; Attempted Aggravated Assault; Assault in the Second Degree; Unlawful Fleeing in the Third Degree; Reckless Driving; Obstructing of Governmental Administration in the Second Degree; Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree.

• Leonela Morillo-Leal & Byron Delgado-Belasco – Attempted Assault in the First Degree; Assault in the Second Degree; Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree.

• Angel Ventura – Criminal Contempt in the First Degree; Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree.

• Emerson Huilcazhquiri – Robbery in the First Degree; Robbery in the Second Degree; Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree; Attempted Assault in the Third Degree-Two Counts.

• Manuel Milton Yantalema-Parco – Leaving Scene of Accident without Reporting; Concealment of Co**se; Tampering with Evidence – Two Counts.

• Donald Siler – Failure to Register or Verify as a S*x Offender – Seven Counts.

• David Gilles – Attempted R**e in the First Degree; R**e in the Third Degree-Two Counts; S*xual Abuse in the Third Degree-Two Counts.

• Russell Thorne – Attempted Assault in the Second Degree; Attempted Assault in the Third Degree; Official Misconduct; Promoting Prison Contraband in the Second Degree; Obstructing Governmental Administration in the Second Degree; Criminal Tampering in the Third Degree.

• Manuel Vargas-Casum, Keny Aragon-Segura and Kevin E. Cardona, Oliver Salazar Rosa and Rodbin Garcia Medina – Gang Assault in the Second Degree.

• Aldo D. Deceano – Robbery in the First Degree; Attempted Robbery in the First Degree; Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree; Menacing in the Second Degree; Endangering the Welfare of a Child; Obstructing Governmental Administration in the Second Degree.

• Jhamecia Watkins – Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree; Menacing in the First Degree.

• Tyquan Foster a/k/a Mark Smith – Assault in the Second Degree; Criminal Obstruction of Breathing or Blood Circulation; Endangering the Welfare of a Child – Two Counts.

*It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation, and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

SERIAL KIDNAPPER AND CONVICTED RA**ST EDUARDO HERNANDEZ SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS IN PRISON FOR KIDNAPPING ANOTHER WOMAN IN HAVERSTRAW

NEW CITY, N.Y. – District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced today that Eduardo Hernandez, 49, of Garnerville, New York, was sentenced today to 14 years in state prison for his conviction of Kidnapping in the Second Degree in Rockland County Court, before the Honorable Kevin F. Russo.

On September 14, 2025, at approximately 5:25 p.m., the defendant attacked a woman outside a home in the Village of Haverstraw, New York. The defendant abducted the woman by restraining her with intent to prevent her liberation as he grabbed her by the neck and held a screwdriver to her throat, threatening to use deadly physical force. The woman fought the defendant off and called for help. Witnesses observed the defendant flee in a vehicle and observed the vehicle’s license plate number.

Investigators located the defendant’s vehicle and initiated a traffic stop the following day at approximately 9:15 a.m. in Stony Point, New York. The defendant fled on foot, but was quickly apprehended and transported to the Haverstraw Police Department.

The investigation was conducted by the Haverstraw Police Department with assistance from the Stony Point Police Department, and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office.

Eduardo Herandez was released from state prison on March 15, 2022, after serving a total of 19 years of incarceration for 3 separate felony convictions. On August 4, 2004, the defendant pled guilty to R**e in the First Degree pertaining to one female victim and pled guilty to the Kidnapping in the Second Degree of second woman, both occurring on April 18, 2004. He received two 14-year determinate terms of incarceration concurrent with each other for those crimes. On June 29, 2005, Hernandez pled guilty to Kidnapping in the Second Degree with respect to an earlier abduction of a third woman on December 22, 2002. He received an additional 5-year determinate sentence in prison to be served consecutively to the previous 14-year sentences for the crimes committed on April 18, 2004.

Hernandez’s history dates back to April 18, 2004, when at approximately 8:00 pm, the victim, a 52 year old female was walking home from the grocery store on Cosgrove Avenue in the Village of West Haverstraw when she was approached from behind by Eduardo Hernandez who proceeded to put a rope around her neck and kidnapped her by pulling her inside of a van. Once he had the victim inside of the vehicle he forcibly held her face down, tore her clothing and r***d her vaginally and anally. During the r**e he threatened her not to look at him, stating that he had a gun and that he would kill her. After the r**e, and while still in the van he stole her purse and money. He proceeded to partially dress her and then placed a laundry bag over her head and ordered her out of the van and drove away. The victim went to her home and immediately called 911.

Approximately 30 minutes later, at approximately 9:00 pm a second woman, age 31, was doing laundry in the basement laundry room of the Kensington Circle apartment complex in Haverstraw, when the defendant entered the building. As she was standing in front of the dryers in the room, the defendant approached her from behind and put his arms around her neck and proceeded to restrain her and drag her several feet behind the dryers. A struggle ensued and the defendant forcibly began to pull the electrical cords from the dryers and tried to wrap them around the victim’s neck. The victim proceeded to fight him off and screamed for help. Hernandez then fled the laundry room, and the victim called the police. Based upon the description provided by the second female victim, the defendant was stopped and detained approximately 40 minutes later. The second victim was brought to the location where he was detained and positively identified him as the person who abducted her. The defendant was interviewed by members of the Town of Haverstraw police department and made admissions to being at both crime scenes. The van used in the first incident was located, secured and a search warrant was obtained for it. Upon ex*****on of the warrant order, rope, laundry bags and money were located inside. During the course of these investigations, Hernandez provided the police department with a DNA sample. The DNA sample was entered into the New York State DNA databank.

Back on December 22, 2002, a 48-year-old woman was walking on a path at the Marian Shrine in the Town of Haverstraw, New York. A man suddenly ran up from behind her, grabbed her, put his hands around her eyes and mouth and put a rope around her neck. He then forcibly pulled her off the path and into a wooded area where he got on top of her. He told her to be quiet and that he would not hurt her. The victim struggled with this man, was able to break free and ran to the residence at Marian Shrine with the rope still around her neck. She gave a description to the police, and a canine unit tracked a scent from the scene of the crime to the area of North Rockland High School where a grey shirt was recovered. The Town of Haverstraw Police Department responded to investigate. The rope was seized as evidence and sent to the New York State Police Laboratory in Albany, NY, along with the grey shirt. In August of 2004, the DNA Databank matched the DNA profile of Eduardo Hernandez and the victim as being on the rope recovered from her neck. The shirt matched the DNA of Eduardo Hernandez as well. Hernandez was placed in a court ordered line up on April 13, 2005, and the victim from the Marian Shrine kidnapping identified him as her attacker. Hernandez was subsequently charged with this third kidnapping and pled guilty on June 29, 2005, to Kidnapping in the Second Degree and received an additional 5-year prison term to run consecutively to the 14-year sentences he received for the crimes he committed on April 18, 2004.

District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II stated, “The danger that this man poses to the community cannot be understated. Three prior felony convictions for R**e and Kidnapping should have been enough, but this defendant chose to strike again. My office has zero tolerance for habitual, violent offenders who refuse to be rehabilitated. This sentence ensures the defendant will spend the next 14 years behind bars, which is exactly where he belongs. My hopes and prayers go out to the victim who displayed such courage and strength when attacked by this defendant. Thank you to the Assistant District Attorneys who worked on this case so diligently, along with the men and women of the Town of Haverstraw Police Department and the Town of Stony Point Police Department.”

The 2004 and 2005 cases were prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney Doreen M. Lloyd. The instant 2025 case is being prosecuted by Supervising Assistant District Attorney Gerard M. Damiani III and Senior Assistant District Attorney Kaitlin DeLuca of the Special Victims Unit.

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