Hiram Rivera

A 44-year-old Dunkirk man has pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree attempted kidnapping, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced Wednesday.

Hiram R. Rivera entered the plea before acting state Supreme Court Judge Debra Givens.

On June 8, 2021, Rivera and another individual were at the home of a Silver Creek woman. The Dunkirk man was being sought by police in connection with a crime that occurred earlier that morning in Chautauqua County.

When the victim told Rivera that police were searching for him, the DA’s office said Rivera attempted to abduct the woman by forcing her at gunpoint out of her apartment and into her vehicle.

The vehicle involved later crashed into another vehicle on Route 438, near Versailles Plank Road, in the town of Collins.

Rivera reportedly dragged the woman out of the vehicle while armed with a hammer and what appeared to be a pistol and held her against her will in a nearby wooded area.

After nearly three hours of hostage negotiations, Rivera surrendered and the victim was unharmed. Investigators recovered a pellet gun after Rivera was taken into custody.

Rivera faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced June 7. He also has pending criminal charges in Chautauqua County related to the incident.