Texas Rideshare Driver Kidnapped to Miami

MIAMI - A 23-year-old man from Venezuela, Miguel Pastran Hernandez, is facing multiple serious charges, including kidnapping, carjacking, and possession of a firearm, after allegedly abducting a North Texas rideshare driver at gunpoint. The incident began on August 16 when Pastran was picked up in Arlington and directed the driver to a seemingly abandoned gas station, where he brandished a firearm and threatened the victim. According to the probable cause affidavit, the driver offered Pastran his belongings in a bid to escape the situation, but Pastran escalated the threat, insisting he would tie the driver up. The victim was coerced into driving to Florida, during which Pastran instructed him to inform his children about a fictitious work trip while they passed through Louisiana. The affidavit also noted that Pastran discovered an unloaded 9mm handgun belonging to the driver during the journey. The harrowing trip concluded on August 17 in the Miami Beach area, where Pastran revealed plans to kidnap a second victim for a $3 million ransom. On August 19, while stopping at a Dollar General in Hialeah for supplies, the driver seized an opportunity to escape by hiding in the bathroom. Pastran fled on foot with the car keys but was apprehended by police three hours later in Hollywood, where he was found with a loaded 9mm handgun belonging to the driver. During police questioning, Pastran confessed to the kidnapping, further complicating his legal troubles as authorities continue to investigate the case.