Manhunt ends with arrest of suspect in Westchester shooting
WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. (PIX11) – Fernando Jimenez, 40, is in custody, facing many felony charges. Jimenez was the target of a 12-hour manhunt after allegedly shooting three people.
One of whom died in a townhouse here. Now, the survivors of the ordeal fight to stay alive and recover.
The shooting took place at around 11:00 on Monday night in an apartment and townhouse complex called Crossroads at Baldwin Place, off Route 6. Ray Majdanski is a resident there.
"It kind of scared me," he said. "I was afraid to come outside."
That concern was justified, said local authorities in both Westchester and Putnam Counties. The shooting scene where, according to investigators, Jimenez shot an adult and two children is in Westchester.
Jimenez was thought to be hiding in the town of Putnam Valley, about six miles away from the shooting scene, which is where he was ultimately found.
After he fled on Monday night, word spread among neighbors throughout the day on Tuesday in the community where the shooting had taken place. People who knew the victims said that a woman and two children lived in the home where Jimenez allegedly opened fire. Neighbors also said that Jimenez was related to the victims.
"It’s sad," said Dany Heyot, who lives in the Crossroads complex. "I’ve got four grandkids, and it gets emotional," she said, as tears welled up in her eyes.
According to state troopers, Jimenez ended up hiding in a small real estate office in Putnam Valley. They tracked him down but only learned his specific location after the office's owner checked her property from outside.
That chief realtor is Patricia Schiller, who started selling real estate two decades ago after a distinguished career as an NYPD detective. When she drove up to her office, she immediately put two and two together.
"When I saw the blinds were down," she said -- something that her office almost never does, as well as never remove the window air conditioner unit, which had also happened, "I came over to the troopers on the corner and said, 'I think he's inside.'"
"It's natural to me," she continued, regarding her gumshoe work. "I mean, I'm a retired detective."
The police major in charge of the investigation, Kathryne Rohde, the commander of State Police Troop K, said that Schiller's actions were exemplary.
"Her police instincts kicked in," Maj. Rohde said. "You never lose them, and she knew right from the get-go."
It led to Jimenez's arrest and the lifting of a lockdown on schools and homes in Putnam County and northern Westchester County.
Jimenez will face a variety of felony charges at his arraignment.
Meanwhile, local hospitals have not released the health conditions of the surviving victims. They said that they're deferring to law enforcement for all reports related to the case.