SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On August 18, 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Benjamín Obed Velázquez Hernández, from San Juan, PR, with two carjackings, announced Héctor Ramírez Carbó, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. On July 30, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Velázquez Hernández with two carjackings and two counts of firearms violations.
According to the Government’s allegations, on July 23, 2025, in the District of Puerto Rico, Benjamín Obed Velázquez Hernández, while carrying and brandishing a firearm, did take a motor vehicle, to wit: a white, Hyundai Santa Fe, that had been transported, shipped or received in interstate or foreign commerce, from the presence of an adult male, by force, violence and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm. On August 13, 2025, Velázquez Hernández is also charged with the armed carjacking of a grey Mitsubishi Eclipse from an adult male by force, violence and intimidation. Both victims were working as Uber drivers at the time of the carjackings.
“The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that those who threaten our communities with senseless acts of violence face the consequences of their actions. I commend the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and the FBI for their excellent work in the investigation and arrest of this individual,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ramírez-
Carbó.
“FBI San Juan is committed to crushing violent crime and will continue to work diligently to disrupt carjackings, Hobbs Act violations, and kidnappings in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,” said Carlos Goris, Special Agent in Charge FBI San Juan. “Protecting citizens and bringing justice will always remain our highest priority.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is in charge of the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Vance Eaton of the Violent Crimes and National Security Section is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendant faces a sentence of up to fifteen years in prison for the carjackings and up to life in prison for the firearms charges.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
