BOSTON — The man accused of assaulting a teenage girl inside a bathroom at Boston’s Museum of Science last weekend has an extensive criminal history, prosecutors revealed in a dangerousness hearing on Friday.
[ Man accused of assaulting teen inside bathroom at Boston’s Museum of Science, DA says ]
Yandri Hernandez, 24, allegedly hid inside a bathroom on the first level of the museum before he came up behind a 15-year-old girl and placed his hands over her mouth around 12:40 p.m. last Sunday.
Hernandez was found dangerous and ordered held until February 7, 2025 after prosecutors cited a series of low level crimes earlier this year, including instances where he allegedly broke into cars, unarmed robbery and public drug use.
“Your honor, this past incident, it’s very clear that Mr. Hernandez is escalating,” prosecutor Monica Cusack told the judge.
Hernandez’ defense team told the judge that the 24-year-old is homeless and suffers from substance abuse issues. Defense attorney Lorraine Belostrock told the judge he needs help, not jail.
“This seems to be just an isolated incident due to the substance abuse issue and the homelessness,” Belostrock said.
The DA’s office says video footage from inside the Museum of Science showed a man wearing all-black clothing and black and white sneakers enter the building shortly before 11:00 a.m. The suspect allegedly sat in the lobby near the bathroom for around an hour before entering, the DA says.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the museum said:
“The Museum of Science takes multiple steps to create a safe environment for our members and guests. 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.”
The alleged incident has left many in Cambridge stunned Friday.
“Don’t want to think about happening to my kids,” said Linda Alexander. “You just cross your fingers that it’s going to be ok.”
“It’s too dangerous a lot of kids are there,” said Ara Alhassani. “I don’t know what to do to solve this problem, but it’s so dangerous.”
Hernandez will next appear in court on November 8 for a pretrial hearing. He is charged with kidnapping of a child, strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW