A 24-year-old man from Somerville has been arrested and charged after he tried to restrain and kidnap a teenage girl in the women's bathroom at Boston's Museum of Science.
Officials for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office have charged Yardi Hernandez with kidnapping of a child, strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery in connection to the case. The suspect is currently in police custody and is being held without bail.
Attempted Kidnapping at Boston's Museum of Science Bathroom
The 15-year-old victim, whose identity was not publicly revealed by authorities, said she entered the women's bathroom on the first level of the Museum of Science. Her friend was waiting outside. In her account, the victim said she left the bathroom stall and went to the sink to wash her hands when a hand came around her face and covered her mouth.
The suspect did not speak. However, he attempted to restrain the victim. The 15-year-old was able to scream and run out of the women's bathroom. Hernandez fled the scene immediately, per CBS News, citing Massachusetts State Police.
Authorities were called to the scene following the incident. They began investigating the attempted kidnapping incident at about 12:41 p.m. Sunday. A witness who spoke with police said she was inside the bathroom and noticed that two stalls were occupied. In one of the stalls, the witness said she saw large black-and-white sneakers. She later heard the screaming and the altercation but did not see anyone after exiting her stall.
A review of the museum's surveillance footage found that a man wearing black-and-white sneakers entered the museum around 11 a.m. and sat in the lobby near the bathroom. He entered the women's bathroom around noon.
Finding and Arresting the Suspect
Investigators for the Massachusetts State Police shared images of the suspect with local police. Authorities for Cambridge police reached out to investigators on Monday and identified the suspect as Hernandez.
The 24-year-old was arrested in Somerville on Tuesday. He was taken into police custody. On Wednesday, Hernandez was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court. He is expected to be back in court on Friday to attend a dangerousness hearing.
In response to the incident, the Museum of Science said it takes "multiple steps" to keep its guests safe.
"We are grateful for the efforts of our own internal public safety team, combined with law enforcement officials, who were able to quickly identify the involved individual," they continued, as quoted by NBC Boston.
