In a tragic turn of events on February 2, 2018, 20-year-old Oscar Antonio Blanco-Hernandez was found dead in the Jamaica Hills section of Queens, New York. He had been shot multiple times, with gunshot wounds to his head and groin. The incident, which unfolded on 160th Street near 85th Avenue, was initially reported as an assault in a 911 call at 6:40 p.m.
Responding officers from the 107th Precinct discovered Blanco-Hernandez, who was rushed to Queens Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the death of Blanco-Hernandez, a suspected member of the MS-13 gang, revealed a chilling story of gang rivalry and calculated violence. Authorities identified Yanki Misael Cruz-Mateo, a member of the rival 18th Street gang, specifically the Jamaica-based Shatto Park Locos Sureños sect, as the primary perpetrator. On the day of the murder, Blanco-Hernandez was lured from his home in Elizabeth, New Jersey, under the pretense of smoking marijuana with acquaintances. He was picked up by Carolina Cruz and Jose Jiminez Chacon and driven to Queens.
Once in Queens, they met with other 18th Street gang members, including Cruz-Mateo and Yoni Alexander Sierra. Blanco-Hernandez was then positioned in the back seat of a car between Cruz-Mateo and Sierra and driven to a quiet residential neighborhood. It was there that Cruz-Mateo drew a. 380 caliber semiautomatic handgun and fatally shot Blanco-Hernandez in the back of the head. An investigation at the scene uncovered at least four shell casings. Security camera footage later released by the NYPD showed Blanco-Hernandez walking with two individuals believed to be involved in his murder.
Following the killing, Cruz-Mateo fled to Kingston, New York, but was apprehended by FBI agents in February 2018 after a statewide manhunt. Cruz-Mateo later pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges in connection with the murder of Blanco-Hernandez and another individual. In April 2025, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in the two murders. Several of his co-defendants also pleaded guilty to their involvement in Blanco-Hernandez's death. Yoni Alexander Sierra was sentenced to 204 months in prison, Jose Jiminez Chacon received a sentence of 269 months, and Carolina Cruz was sentenced to 150 months.
