A Somerville man is being held behind bars after his arrest for allegedly grabbing a 15-year-old girl from behind in a bathroom at the Museum of Science in Boston.
A man accused of trying to kidnap a teenage girl at the Boston Museum of Science last weekend appeared in court Friday morning, where it was revealed that he has an extensive criminal history.
The details are quite disturbing. According to police, they have the suspect on camera going into the bathroom. The 15-year-old girl unknowingly went in after, and that's when police say he came up behind her and placed his hand over her mouth.
He was later identified as 24-year-old Yandri Hernandez, of Somerville.
Police say the incident happened last Sunday. After Hernandez put his hand over the girl's mouth, she screamed and ran away. He fled as well.
Hernandez was arrested Tuesday on charges of kidnapping of a child, strangulation and assault and battery.
In court Friday, it was revealed that Hernandez has a 5-year-old daughter, is unhoused, suffers from substance abuse and also has depression and anxiety. The judge ruled that he is a danger to the community and he should remain behind bars for a period of up to 120 days without the ability to post bail.
We also learned that in February, April, May and June of this year he was involved in incidents where he broke into cars, robbing a person of money and taken drugs in public. He is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 8 for a pretrial hearing.
The museum released a statement saying "they are grateful for the efforts of their internal public safety team and local law enforcement for being able to quickly identify Hernandez."
Friday's hearing, to determine the level of dangerousness he posed and whether he should be given an opportunity to post bail while he awaits trial, was the second time Hernandez went before a judge in the case.
