Boat Boy is back in action—and they can’t even ship him home.
The homeless migrant who was caught joyriding on a historic FDNY fireboat and then swiping a sailboat for another leisurely ride was released without bail Friday—oonly to immediately try to board an even larger ship in Manhattan, according to sources who say immigration officials’ hands are tied.
“Welcome to New York,” said Eric Fischer, vice president of the Frying Pan, the ship arriving Friday.
Judge Marva Brown released Juan Hernandez, 22, of Ecuador on Friday morning after he reportedly took the old FDNY-owned vessel John J. Harvey for a wild ride down the Hudson River early Thursday before stealing a sailboat in Chelsea for another trip.
According to staff and owners, the alleged boat bandit was again on the street around midday Friday, attempting to board the Frying Pan, a 133-foot lightship with a famous floating restaurant at Pier 66.
A bartender on the ship claimed he challenged Hernandez after seeing him attempt to get past a fence onto the barge.
At the time, the migrant was wearing khakis and a black hoodie with an orange emblem on the back.
“I was like, ‘What the f-k are you doing here?'” said the worker, who only gave his name as Mario.
“I told him to get away. He started talking and ran away.”
The would-be first mate claimed to have left his passport on the bright red vessel, permanently stationed at Pier 66, according to Angela Krevey, co-owner of Pier 66 Maritime.
Hernandez may have mistaken the Frying Pan for the fire boat because of its location and color, according to observers.
“The seafaring thief was back,” she explained.
“He was very belligerent.” He demanded to board the barge.
“We phoned the cops.” The police said they couldn’t do anything because he’s a free man,” she said, dismissing the recurrent boat-related occurrences as perplexing.
“There is no passport on board,” she explained.
It was unclear whether Hernandez would face charges in connection with the incident on Friday.
“Why did they release him from jail if he faced two counts of grand larceny?” Krevey spoke of Hernandez’s illegal maritime expeditions on Thursday. “I honestly don’t understand this city.
“I want my city back,” she explained.
Krevey expressed concern that Hernandez is out of his mind and may attempt to set sail again.
“If he believes his passport is on board, he may return, which is what we are worried about.” He could come back with more people,” she explained.
“I don’t know if he’s mentally stable.”
“I’d like a restraining order. But why do we have to pay a lawyer to obtain a restraining order against a criminal thief? She said. “The fact that they let him out is very disconcerting.”
Fischer of the Frying Pan said colleagues recognized Hernandez from media headlines about his nautical arrest on Thursday.
“We assumed this would only be a one-day news story. We didn’t think he’d get away with two great larcenies, yet here we are,” Fischer explained.
He was referring to the state’s soft-on-crime bail reform legislation, which in this instance required the judge to release Hernandez without bond due to the nonviolent nature of his crimes.
Hernandez is believed to have entered the country illegally in 2022 through El Paso, Texas.
After being apprehended, he allegedly missed an immigration court appearance in Boston and ended up in New York City, according to law enforcement sources.
On Thursday, the Hudson River Community Sailing School charged him with two counts of grand larceny after he became stranded on the 130-foot fireboat and hopped onto a J/80 sailboat.
After his release without a bond, he found himself back on the streets.
According to state regulations, New York judges have a “non-cooperation agreement” with federal immigration authorities at ICE, which means they cannot detain migrants like Hernandez for federal authorities even after arrest, sources said.
