Imagine this: you’re a rideshare driver, pulling into an abandoned gas station late at night. Before you can leave, a man with a gun slides into your back seat and tells you to drive. For one unlucky driver in Arlington, Texas, this nightmare became a reality when Miguel Alejandro Pastran Hernandez hijacked their car, forcing them on a 1,300-mile journey across multiple states to Florida in a bizarre and poorly executed kidnapping plot.

A plan doomed from the start

On the night of August 16, Pastran requested a ride via a rideshare app from Arlington, Texas. When the driver arrived, Pastran pulled out a gun, loudly chambering a round for intimidation. He threatened to tie up the driver and stash them in the trunk, but for now, the victim’s job was simple: drive him to Florida.

This might be the worst-planned crime I’ve ever heard of. You’d think someone on a cross-country crime spree would try to cover their tracks. Maybe sneak onto a Greyhound with a fake ID or buy a used car with cash. But Pastran opted for the most traceable form of transportation—a rideshare app. And instead of reducing suspicion, he made his terrified driver call their family and claim they were on a long work trip to explain the extended disappearance.

The marathon ride

As the duo floored it through Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, Pastran kept a gun trained on the driver the entire time. At one point, he discovered an unloaded 9mm handgun in the car and seized it, completing his arsenal.

Incredibly, they made it all the way to Miami Beach. Pastran’s plan? To kidnap a high-net-worth individual and demand a $3 million ransom. The two even watched the intended victim together. Pastran, however, hadn’t thought this through. With no way to restrain his target, he ordered the driver to make a quick pit stop for “supplies” at a Dollar General in Hialeah.

You can’t make this stuff up—he was preparing for a multi-million dollar kidnapping and stopped to shop at a dollar store. I might spring for better zip ties from Home Depot. But that’s just me.

A daring escape

The driver saw their chance. While Pastran hunted for “kidnapping supplies,” they escaped and hid in the store’s bathroom. That’s all it took to outsmart the criminal mastermind. Panicked, Pastran grabbed the keys and drove off, but his luck had run out. He was arrested shortly afterward in Hollywood, Florida, caught with a loaded gun in a bag.

Federal prosecutors wasted no time filing charges. Pastran now faces a mountain of legal trouble, including kidnapping, carjacking, and firearm possession in connection with a violent crime. His plan to kidnap someone else? Derailed by a quick-thinking driver and some poorly chosen zip ties.

The aftermath

Despite the harrowing journey, the driver is safe, and Pastran is locked up in the Broward County Jail awaiting trial. He even confessed to his entire plan when questioned by authorities, waiving his Miranda rights. As if the poorly executed plot weren’t already unraveling, Pastran’s own words sealed his fate.

This wild story has raised new concerns for rideshare drivers, many of whom have shared their fears about how vulnerable they are to such incidents. As one driver put it, “You can carry pepper spray, but against a gun? That’s terrifying.”

Thanks to the quick-thinking driver and Pastran’s own incompetence, the plot never reached its goal. But it will surely be remembered for its sheer absurdity.