Investigators say the suspect walked away after believing the victim was dead.
STUART, FL — A 26-year-old Venezuelan man who authorities say is in the United States illegally has been charged with attempted first-degree murder after investigators said he attacked a woman on a Martin County beach and held her underwater until she lost consciousness.
Officials said the woman survived and later found help, but the case broke open days later when the suspect surfaced during a separate call in another city and told officers he had killed a woman on a beach. The sheriff described the assault as random and rare, and said the victim’s account and injuries matched what investigators later said the suspect admitted.
Investigators said the attack happened about 11 p.m. Thursday into early Friday morning along Tiger Shores Beach, a stretch of sand on Hutchinson Island in Martin County. The woman was walking alone and talking by phone with a relative when a man came up from behind, struck her and forced her toward the water, Sheriff John Budensiek said at a news conference Monday.
Budensiek said the woman fought back as the attacker pushed her into the ocean. During a struggle that the sheriff said lasted about three to five minutes, the victim hit the man and grabbed at him in an effort to break free. The sheriff said the attacker kept pressing her down in the surf and held her head underwater. The woman eventually lost consciousness, investigators said.
Authorities said the suspect believed she was dead. Budensiek said investigators were told the attacker took the woman’s phone and threw it into the ocean before leaving the area on foot. After some time, the woman regained consciousness, got out of the water and began walking south along the shoreline, investigators said. She walked more than a mile to Stuart Beach, where she located a deputy and reported what happened, officials said.
Deputies who found her saw bruising on the side of her neck and face and noted she was wet and shaken, Budensiek said. Her husband had called 911 after losing contact with her during the phone call, according to authorities, and told dispatchers that the relative on the line heard screaming, sounds of a struggle and then silence as the call dropped.
With no immediate suspect, deputies spent the next two days trying to identify who attacked her, Budensiek said. Investigators canvassed the area, reviewed available camera footage, searched for witnesses and watched the beach in case the attacker returned. The sheriff said there was no known connection between the suspect and the victim and no indication the victim was targeted for a personal reason.
Then, on Sunday night, police in Port St. Lucie responded to a call involving a suicidal man, according to the sheriff. During that contact, the man told officers he had murdered a woman on a beach in Martin County and left her for dead, Budensiek said. Port St. Lucie police contacted the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, and detectives responded to interview the man.
Budensiek identified the suspect as Said Alexander Hernandez-Gonzalez, 26. Investigators said he admitted he was on the same beach that night. Budensiek said detectives learned the man had been drinking vodka and smoking marijuana and was walking along the shoreline near the victim.
According to Budensiek, Hernandez-Gonzalez told investigators he became angry when he saw the woman using her phone and believed she was recording him or talking about him. Budensiek said the suspect described going into a rage, knocking the phone away and pulling her into the water. The sheriff said the suspect told detectives he held her down until she went limp and believed she had died.
Budensiek said investigators told the suspect the woman was alive. When asked whether he felt remorse, Budensiek said the suspect replied, “No, I don’t feel nothing.” The sheriff said the response, along with the suspect’s own account, reinforced investigators’ belief that the attack was intentional and aimed at killing the victim.
Hernandez-Gonzalez was booked into the Martin County Jail and charged with attempted first-degree premeditated murder, officials said. Budensiek said the suspect was being held without bond. Immigration authorities also placed a detainer on him, according to reports that cited sheriff’s office information.
The sheriff said the evidence in the case includes the victim’s statement, her injuries and details gathered during the investigation, along with the suspect’s admissions. Officials did not identify the victim publicly. They also did not release details about any ongoing medical treatment, beyond saying she survived and was recovering.
Authorities said the beach area where the attack occurred is normally quiet late at night, with limited foot traffic and long stretches of sand between access points. That can make it difficult for victims to find immediate help and can limit the number of witnesses, investigators said. In this case, the victim’s ability to get to a deputy after regaining consciousness was a key moment in the investigation.
Budensiek said investigators still want to hear from anyone who was in the area around the time of the assault or who may have seen a man walking along the shoreline near Tiger Shores Beach. Officials also said they were continuing to review any available video and to document the scene as part of the criminal case.
The case is expected to move through the court system in Martin County, where prosecutors will decide how to proceed based on the investigation and any additional evidence. Detectives will submit reports and supporting records, and a judge will set future court dates, authorities said. Officials did not announce a hearing date at the news conference.
At the briefing, Budensiek called the attack “extremely alarming” and said it stood out as an unusual act of violence because there was no prior relationship between the people involved. He said investigators have not described a clear motive beyond what the suspect told detectives about becoming angry when he saw the victim’s phone.
For residents and visitors on Hutchinson Island, the incident added to concerns about safety on isolated stretches of shoreline after dark. Deputies said patrols and investigative checks were increased during the search for a suspect, and the sheriff said the department worked with nearby agencies once Port St. Lucie police called with the mental health report that led to the arrest.
As of Tuesday, Hernandez-Gonzalez remained in custody on the attempted murder charge, and investigators said the woman was alive and recovering. The next milestone is his initial court appearances in Martin County as prosecutors review the case file and detectives complete remaining follow-up work.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 17, 2026.