Imagine this: you’re a rideshare driver, pulling into an abandoned gas station late at night. Before you can leave, a man with a gun slides into your back seat and tells you to drive. For one unlucky driver in Arlington, Texas, this nightmare became a reality when Miguel Alejandro Pastran Hernandez hijacked their car, forcing them on a 1,300-mile journey across multiple states to Florida in a bizarre and poorly executed kidnapping plot.
A plan doomed from the start
On the night of August 16, Pastran requested a ride via a rideshare app from Arlington, Texas. When the driver arrived, Pastran pulled out a gun, loudly chambering a round for intimidation. He threatened to tie up the driver and stash them in the trunk, but for now, the victim’s job was simple: drive him to Florida.
This might be the worst-planned crime I’ve ever heard of. You’d think someone on a cross-country crime spree would try to cover their tracks. Maybe sneak onto a Greyhound with a fake ID or buy a used car with cash. But Pastran opted for the most traceable form of transportation—a rideshare app. And instead of reducing suspicion, he made his terrified driver call their family and claim they were on a long work trip to explain the extended disappearance.
The marathon ride
As the duo floored it through Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, Pastran kept a gun trained on the driver the entire time. At one point, he discovered an unloaded 9mm handgun in the car and seized it, completing his arsenal.
Incredibly, they made it all the way to Miami Beach. Pastran’s plan? To kidnap a high-net-worth individual and demand a $3 million ransom. The two even watched the intended victim together. Pastran, however, hadn’t thought this through. With no way to restrain his target, he ordered the driver to make a quick pit stop for “supplies” at a Dollar General in Hialeah…