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Ariel Dejesus Valdez, 28, who was in the US on a temporary visa, was extradited from Rhode Island on Monday, Dec. 16, following an alleged attack at the North Fairfield Service Plaza on I-95 on Dec. 7, Connecticut State Police said.
A woman who was riding with Valdez said they were returning to Massachusetts from transporting vehicles when they stopped at the Fairfield County rest stop to use the restroom. Valdez was on the phone arguing with a mechanic, but when the woman told him to calm down, she said Valdez lost it and tried to slap her, according to a police report.
He missed, and she jumped out of the Ford F-350. He grabbed the $2,000 they made transporting vehicles and walked away. She climbed back into the truck, locked the doors, and considered driving away, she told police.
That's when Valdez smashed in the truck's rear window, sending shards of glass raining down on her one-month-old baby who was in the backseat, the report said. Paramedics told troopers the baby had several cuts to its face and glass in its blanket.
The woman screamed for help, and a truck driver came over and tried to calm the situation. But after a few moments, she said Valdez returned and strangled her with both hands before walking away for good, the report continued.
Fairfield police and State Troopers searched for the Valdez but didn't locate him. Police in Rhode Island arrested him later.
He was being held on a $100,000 bond Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The Department of Homeland Security said Valdez had not told immigration officials he intended to leave Florida during his visit to the US, and federal authorities said he had missed his return flight to the Dominican Republic on Sept. 6
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