Alabama teen found in Ohio asks for privacy

Boy was taken from his mother 13 years ago by his father.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland teenager who recently discovered he had been taken from his mother’s home in Alabama 13 years ago issued a statement Friday asking to be left alone by the media so that he can try to live a “normal” life.

Julian Hernandez, 18, has been besieged since learning Wednesday that his 53-year-old father, Bobby Hernandez, had been arrested and jailed for bringing his son in 2002 to Cleveland, where he created new identities for both of them. The teen helped solve the mystery himself when problems developed as he tried to apply for college.

Bobby Hernandez, who lived, worked and apparently fathered another child in Cleveland, called himself Jonathan Mangina. A neighbor said the teen was normally called “Jay.”

The teen’s statement, issued through an FBI spokeswoman in Cleveland, said: “I ask that you respect my privacy and the privacy of my school, my school’s faculty, my friends and my neighbors. At this point I just simply want to be normal! I want to go through my day like I did before this week, just being a normal 18-yearold. I have goals that I am striving to meet, so please, again, respect my request for privacy.”

Bobby Hernandez’s attorney said Friday that his client was initially on suicide watch after being arrested Monday and was given medication to calm him.

Hernandez was charged Wednesday with tampering with records to obtain an Ohio driver’s license and was being held on a $250,000 bail. Alabama authorities on Thursday charged Hernandez with interference with custody, which carries up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.

Hernandez is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 12. Defense attorney Ralph DeFranco said he and his client are waiting to see if Hernandez will be extradited to Alabama.

“He’s pretty upset,” DeFranco said. “He obviously knows there’s going to be some consequences.”

Asked if Hernandez knew he’d be caught, DeFranco replied, “He knew it was coming. He just didn’t know when.”

The mother, whose name hasn’t been released, has been in contact with her son.

Bobby Hernandez, 53, has been arrested and jailed for bringing his son in 2002 to Cleveland.