A night walk turned into a fight for survival on a Martin County beach this past week after a woman was ambushed, beaten, and left for dead in the surf. Authorities have since apprehended 26-year-old Said Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez in connection with the assault, which investigators are describing as a completely unprovoked act of violence.
The victim was walking along the shoreline at Tiger Shore Beach around 11:00 PM Thursday, chatting with a relative on her cell phone, when she was suddenly struck from behind.
According to investigators with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the assailant forced the woman into the water and attempted to drown her. The victim told deputies she fought back during the struggle but eventually lost consciousness.
The attacker, believing the woman was deceased, reportedly took her phone and tossed it into the ocean before fleeing the scene. When the woman eventually regained consciousness alone on the sand, she managed to walk over a mile to Stuart Beach. There, she was able to flag down a sheriff’s deputy to report the crime and seek medical attention.
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The search for the perpetrator lasted two days as deputies scoured the coastline, analyzed surveillance footage, and interviewed potential witnesses.
The break in the case came when Port St. Lucie Police responded to a separate call regarding a suicidal individual. During that encounter, the man—later identified as Hernandez Gonzalez—voluntarily claimed he had killed a woman on a beach in the neighboring county.
During questioning by Martin County detectives, Hernandez Gonzalez allegedly admitted to the attack. He reportedly told officers that seeing the woman alone made him angry, leading him to follow her into the water. Following the assault, he told police he returned to his car to consume alcohol and marijuana.
When investigators asked if he felt any remorse for the incident, he reportedly told them he “felt nothing.”
Records indicate that Hernandez Gonzalez is a Venezuelan national who was in the country illegally. He has been charged with attempted murder and is currently being held at the Martin County Jail. Federal immigration authorities have since placed a detainer on him as the legal process moves forward.
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