Haverstraw man arrested in South Carolina accused of fatal shooting in town on July 1
HAVERSTRAW - The 18-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a Pomona man has been captured in South Carolina, more than 750 miles from the scene of the homicide on July 1, town police said Saturday.
Yandie Martinez faces a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of 29-year-old Christian Alvarado while driving opposite 9 Fairmount Ave. near West Street.
Martinez was taken into custody at 1:20 p.m. in Piedmont, South Carolina, Haverstaw Police Chief John Gould said. Piedmont is an estimated 771 miles from Haverstraw or a 12-hour car drive down Interstate 95, according to a Google mileage calculation.
Martinez had eluded town police and other law enforcement agencies since the shooting. Police put out a nationwide bulletin with a wanted poster describing Martinez.
The Saturday arrest resulted from an effort by members of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Special Investigations Team, the FBI-Westchester Safe StreetsTask Force, and the FBI-Columbia Division, Gould said.
Gould didn't release details of how authorities located Martinez, his arrest, or if anyone qualified for the $5,000 reward the town offered for information leading to Martinez's capture. He said additional information would be disclosed at a news conference at 10 a.m. Monday in Haverstraw Town Hall,1 Rosman Road.
Gould has said Alvarado was shot multiple times in the torso area while driving, causing the Pomona resident to crash his vehicle into a parked car opposite 9 Fairmount Ave. near West Street.
Officers responding to gunfire reports found Alvarado wounded at 4 p.m. on July 1. They helped remove him from the car as EMS technicians provided medical aid.
Alvarado was later pronounced dead at Montefiore-Nyack Hospital.
Gould hasn't released information on how the police centered on Martinez after the shooting. He has said Martinez and Alvarado knew one another but the reason behind the shooting remained speculative.
"We do not have a motive for the homicide at this point," he said early in the investigation. "We do not know what they were feuding about. We have heard many theories but nothing that can be confirmed."
Martinez is being held without bail pending court hearings. If he's in South Carolina, New York would seek his extradition to face charges in Alvarado's death.
The shooting marked the fourth homicide in Rockland in 2024. The others occurred in Stony Point, Spring Valley, and Ramapo. Rockland police investigated four homicides in 2023.
Haverstraw police are also investigating two other unresolved homicides. Eric Quinones, 33, was found shot dead in an apartment complex parking lot on Route 202 in 2023. Andy Urena-Marrero, 23, was shot dead in his yard in 2020.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Accused Haverstraw shooter arrested in South Carolina for murder
