Girl, 15, Attacked In Bathroom Stall At Boston's Museum Of Science

BOSTON, MA — A 24-year-old Somerville man is facing charges of kidnapping of a child, strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery after being accused of hiding in a stall and attacking a 15-year-old girl in the bathroom of Boston's Museum of Science Sunday, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

The man, Yandri Hernandez, is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Friday after being charged in Charlestown BMC Wednesday.

The victim told police that she was visiting the museum with her friend when she left the bathroom stall at 12:41 p.m. to wash her hands and felt a hand come around her face and cover her mouth.

"Initially, she thought it was her friend, but observed a male, later identified as Hernandez, behind her," state police said Thursday. "The victim said Hernandez did not speak but tried to restrain her. The victim was able to scream and quickly ran out of the bathroom. Hernandez walked out of the bathroom immediately after the victim and fled."

One witness who was in the bathroom at the time of the alleged attack told police she noticed the first and last stalls occupied and noticed black-and-white sneakers in an adjoining stall that appeared to be "abnormal in size for a female." While in the stall, the witness said she heard muffled screaming and some sort of physical altercation but that both parties were gone by the time she stepped out.

Video footage shows a man entering the museum at 10:58 a.m. wearing all-black clothing with black-and-white sneakers, according to state police. The man was sitting in a lobby near the bathroom for approximately one hour before entering the bathroom.

Police said they were able to identify the man Monday from a "distinct tattoo on his left forearm." He was spotted in Somerville the following day and placed into custody without incident.

"This is a terrifying incident for anyone, particularly for a teenager simply enjoying an outing with a friend at a popular destination," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said Thursday. "This young woman’s description of her attacker, along with top-notch identification work based on the images disseminated by investigators, led to the defendant being spotted and arrested just days after the incident."