An illegal migrant who arrived in New York City two months ago from Venezuela has randomly attacked at least three strangers and two cops, and gotten arrested – and released – six times on 14 different charges, police and sources said.
Daniel Hernandez Martinez, 29, arrived on June 27 and allegedly committed his first crime the following day.
“He’s been wreaking havoc,” a cop with more than 20 years on the job said.
“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’s alleged crime spree started at a Costco at 976 Third Ave. in Brooklyn. Martinez stole a jar of Nutella, slippers, sneakers, hats, Gillette razor blades, and Dove body wash. cops said. He was charged with petty larceny and released on his own recognizance.
On July 6 he allegedly hit a Duane Reade in Columbus Circle in Manhattan, this time stealing a “tool kit.”
The next day he escalated from shoplifting to assault, cops said. A security guard at a Duane Reade on West 35th in Manhattan tried to stop him from pilfering a bag of chips and toothpaste.
He “pulled out a large knife and advanced toward an undercover officer” while yelling unintelligibly, court documents show.
Martinez was charged with menacing this time, but again released on his own recognizance because the charge wasn’t bail-eligible.
Three weeks later, on July 31, he attacked Jeffrey Bradac, 52, out of the blue with a bike tire in front of the Row Hotel, a migrant shelter in Times Square, according to authorities.
Bradac, an independent journalist who said he was there to document the migrant influx, had previously interviewed Martinez, and was baffled about why he was attacked.
“I did a nice interview with the guy,” said Bradac, who posts his videos about the migrants on social media and has nearly 1 million likes and 48,000 followers on TikTok.
“He hit me with the bike tire and I called police,” Bradac said. “Then, he jumped the Dumpster and a really fit cop ran after him but the guy got away.”
Martinez was arrested about a week later when Bradac, who had filed a criminal complaint, spotted him in front of the hotel again and notified cops stationed there.
On Aug. 21, he violently attacked a woman in Midtown, cops said. He “grabbed a stranger by the hair, dragged her across the floor and kicked her,” and smashed her phone on West 45th Street around 1 a.m., court documents show.
He was charged with menacing, assault, criminal mischief, and weapon possession, and placed on supervised release, according to court records.
Three days later, he was arrested for menacing with a weapon and harassment after threatening a stranger with a chain in front of 701 Eighth Ave., cops said. He was again released with no bail.
Then, four days later, on Aug. 28, he was arrested for using a large metal pipe to break locks to steal bicycles in Times Square, police said. Cops charged him with petty larceny, criminal mischief, and possession of stolen property and burglary tools.
He requested medical attention and was taken to Beth Israel Hospital. While there, he assaulted a police officer who was trying to change his handcuffs, kicking him twice in the shins and stomping on his foot, the records show. He was charged with assaulting a police officer.
Martinez “has been arrested five times in less than two months for charges of harm nearly every time,” ADA Jared Hotchkiss wrote in a bail application. He also pointed out that Martinez has an open case in Brooklyn – a sixth arrest – for petty larceny on which three bench warrants have been issued because he didn’t show up for court.
Prosecutors requested $10,000 bail and $10,000 bond for the cop assault case, but the judge set bail at $5,000 and Martinez was sent to Rikers Island.
The U.S. State Department, Venezuelan consulate, and Homeland Security didn’t answer questions about Martinez’s criminal history in Venezuela or how he made it into the U.S.
