After months of being detained thousands of miles from home, in conditions he described as "tough," Bryan Hagerich returned home. Footage went viral on social media showing the moment when the former baseball player, 39, was reunited with his children at the Pittsburgh International Airport:
MOMENTS AGO:
101 days after his arrest in Turks and Caicos, Bryan Hagerich is back home in Western Pennsylvania. We were there as he reunited with his children at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Hear from Hagerich at 11 on @KDKA. pic.twitter.com/K6MrnpQ5tB
— Ricky Sayer (@RickyReports) May 25, 2024
Hagerich was one of five Americans detained in Turks and Caicos since February after airport authorities found ammunition in their luggage. It is a crime punishable by up to 12 years in prison in the British Overseas Territory.
On Friday, Hagerich pleaded guilty. Jonathan Franks reported that a judge gave him a suspended sentence on Friday and a $6,500 fine, as his representative Jonathan Franks reported.
🚨🚨🚨BREAKING- Bryan Hagerich is given a sentence of 52 months, suspended and $6700 fine. He will be released shortly.
— Jonathan Franks (@jonfranks) May 24, 2024
Senator John Fetterman, who went to the airport to welcome Hagerich home, celebrated the news. He pointed out that there are still three detainees. The Democrat was part of a bipartisan delegation that traveled to the island to call for the release of the Americans.
"When we met with TCI officials a few days ago, they made clear that they wanted this situation resolved," he said in a statement, in which he added that foreign authorities recognized that the Americans were "not gunrunners - they are just people who made a mistake."
🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨
After traveling to Turks and Caicos to urge officials to release the five Americans detained for an honest mistake, they made the right move today and my constituent Bryan is heading back home to the Commonwealth.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/aSj5UV7sYt
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) May 24, 2024
Although he also celebrated Hagerich's return, Pennsylvania Congressman Guy Reschenthaler stated that "this terrifying situation should have never happened."
"As the Turks and Caicos government works to handle future cases, the British territory must ensure the safety and wellbeing of U.S. tourists," he added before promising: "I won’t rest until Americans can once again set foot on their islands without putting their livelihoods at risk."
While I am overjoyed to see Bryan Hagerich will be returning to Pennsylvania and reunited with his wife and two children, this terrifying situation should have never happened to him, or the four other Americans still awaiting sentencing.
As the Turks and Caicos government works… https://t.co/FSrUvDr2zo
— Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) May 24, 2024
