Migrant commits 14 crimes within two months of arriving to New York

A man who entered New York City just two months ago after living in Venezuela has become a poster boy for the migrant crisis after he was arrested six separate times, often for violent attacks. He arrived in the city just about two months ago, first coming in on June 27. 



The 29-year-old Daniel Hernandez Martinez reportedly committed his first crime during his second day in New York City, when he was said to have stolen merchandise from a Brooklyn Costco. He then hit up a Duane Reade in Manhattan's Columbus Circle. 

Just a day later, he allegedly assaulted a security guard at a different Duane Reade location. 

“He’s been wreaking havoc,” stated a cop with over 20 years of experience.

“This is not an isolated incident. These migrants are getting arrested quite often here, and we really don’t know who they are. They really don’t have ID. They’re not being vetted properly, but some of them are committing some of the most violent crimes here.”

Martinez has reportedly launched random attacks on at least three strangers as well as two law enforcement officers.

He “pulled out a large knife and advanced toward an undercover officer” while yelling unintelligibly, per court documents.

Despite threatening the life of another person, Martinez was promptly released as the charges he received for pulling a knife were not bail-eligible.

On July 31, Martinez used a bike tire to attack a 52-year-old man named Jeffrey Bradac. Police said the attack took place in front of the Row Hotel, a migrant shelter in Times Square.

Bradac, a journalist, said he had previously conducted "a nice interview" with Martinez and was befuddled over the assault. 

“He hit me with the bike tire and I called police ... Then, he jumped the Dumpster and a really fit cop ran after him but the guy got away.”

Martinez violently went after a woman in Midtown on Aug. 21, with court documents reporting that he “grabbed a stranger by the hair, dragged her across the floor and kicked her” before later smashing her phone. 

After that, he was booked on Aug. 24 for menacing with a weapon and harassment after another stranger was threatened with a chain on the 700 block of Eighth Ave., per police.  

Police reported another arrest for Martinez on Aug. 28 after he used a large metal pipe to smash locks and jack bicycles in Times Square.

After Martinez demanded medical attention, he assaulted a police officer at the Beth Israel Hospital, according to court records. 

In a bail application, Assistant District Attorney Jared Hotchkiss wrote that Martinez “has been arrested five times in less than two months for charges of harm nearly every time.” 

A judge has now set bail at $5,000, and Martinez has been placed at Rikers Island. 

The U.S. State Department, Venezuelan consulate, and Homeland Security reportedly did not provide information about any criminal history Martinez may have, nor say how he had come into the United States.