A homeless migrant who hijacked a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) boat and a sailboat was released without bail only to immediately board an even bigger ship in Manhattan.
Juan Hernandez from Ecuador reportedly took the former FDNY-owned vessel John J. Harvey down the Hudson River on Thursday morning.
The 22-year-old then stole a sailboat in Chelsea as he continued his joyride.
But after being released by Judge Marva Brown on Friday morning, the suspected boat thief attempted to hijack the 133-foot lightship, the Frying Pan, according to workers and owners.
A homeless migrant who hijacked a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) boat and a sailboat was released without bail
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Sources say immigration chiefs' hands are tied.
On Friday, a worker on the ship - which is permanently docked at Pier 66 - questioned Hernandez after spotting him trying to slip through a gate onto the barge.
"I was like, ‘What the f*** are you doing here'?" the worker, identified as Mario, told the New York Post.
"I told him to go away. He started talking s**t* and he ran away."
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According to Angela Krevey, co-owner of Pier 66 Maritime, the suspect claimed he left his passport on the vessel.
Witnesses say he may have mistaken the Frying Pan for the fire boat due to its location and colour.
She said: "The seafaring thief was back. He was very belligerent. … He demanded to come on to the barge.
"We called the police. The police said they couldn’t do anything because he’s a free man. There is no passport on board."
The migrant is believed to have entered the US illegally through El Paso, Texas, in 2022
GETTYEric Fischer, the vice president of the Frying Pan said staff recognised Hernandez from media reports.
"We thought this would just be a one-day news story. [We] wouldn’t imagine he would get out on two grand larcenies, but here we are," he said.
The migrant is believed to have entered the US illegally through El Paso, Texas, in 2022.