Somerset County man reunites with kids after being freed from Turks and Caicos

Clad in pajamas, holding handmade signs, Caroline and Palmer Hagerich awaited the arrival of their father Friday night at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Then, dad appeared on the escalator, opened his arms and scooped up his kids in an embrace after a 101-day absence.

Both the father and children, 6 and 4, tried their best to hold back tears.

Bryan Hagerich, a Somerset County resident who faced a 12-year sentence for carrying ammunition in his luggage to Turks and Caicos, an island chain in the Caribbean,was finally home.

Hagerich, 39, was given a 52-week suspended sentence by a Turks and Caicos judge and was released Friday.

“God has answered every single prayer we called upon Him for,” Hagerich told TribLive by text while en route to Pittsburgh. “It’s surreal. I have a lot of family moments to catch up on.”

Hagerich and his wife, Ashley, arrived just after 9 p.m. at Pittsburgh International Airport, where their two children embraced them after being apart for months.

Bryan Hagerich reuniting with family at Pittsburgh International Airport Friday night. pic.twitter.com/E34ok33u3A

— Mike D. (@MikeJdiVittorio) May 25, 2024

“My biggest concern is coaching my kid’s baseball game tomorrow, and that is such a relief,” Hagerich said to members of the media. “Just so elated to see them. They’ve been so strong throughout this. Our goal from day one has been our kids. Just to have them here is so amazing.”

He said he’s spent the last 101 days dreaming of the moment he would get to see his kids again.

Ashley Hagerich was ecstatic.

“It feels like an absolute dream,” she said Friday. “Today, it finally becomes a reality.”

Turks and Caicos, a British overseas territory, is an archipelago just east of Cuba and north of the island of Hispaniola.

A congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, and U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, traveled to Turks and Caicos this week to discuss the release of five Americans, including Hagerich.

Hagerich was on his way back to the U.S. from a family vacation when he was arrested Feb. 13 with 20 rounds of ammunition in his luggage, which his wife said was left over from a hunting trip.

“They recognized that Bryan and the other detained Americans are not gunrunners — they are just people who made a mistake,” Fetterman said. “I’m grateful that the judge recognized that the right thing to do was to send Bryan home.”

Fetterman and his wife, Gisele, were at the airport when the Hagerich family reunited, as was Reschenthaler. They posed for a photo with the family.

“It’s great to work together and to be a part of helping reunite this family,” Fetterman said at the airport. “I know a lot of us might think that Republicans and Democrats have to fight. That absolutely wasn’t the case here. I think this is the best part of my job so far. To see what’s happening over our shoulder right there (motioning to the family taking photos together), that’s what this is all about.”

Hagerich was facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years for the charge, but a judge determined that was unjust and instead doled out a suspended sentence and a $6,700 fine, according to ABC News.

“It’s the hardest time of my life,” he said of his detention. “Being separated from your family. As a father as a provider to not be that figure in your family’s life. It’s a very tough pill to swallow. To have these guys here right now, this is everything. You think you’re on this beautiful island, but there’s nothing beautiful about it when you don’t have your family.”

Reschenthaler posted on X that he was overjoyed Hagerich was returning home to his wife and two children in Pennsylvania, but added that Hagerich and the four other Americans never should have been detained in the first place.

“As the Turks and Caicos government works to handle future cases, the British territory must ensure the safety and well-being of U.S. tourists,” wrote Reschenthaler on X. “I won’t rest until Americans can once again set foot on their islands without putting their livelihoods at risk.”

Turks and Caicos passed a strict law in 2022 to address rising gun crimes.

There are still four Americans awaiting their court rulings in Turks and Caicos.

Gov. Josh Shapiro expressed relief that Hagerich returned to Pennsylvania. He posted on X Friday that he advocated for Hagerich’s return. He said he’s hoping for the return of the other Americans still detained.

“I am forever grateful for everything that they’ve done,” Hagerich said of the politicians’ actions. “The amount of support, to amass a congressional delegation to come down to Turks and Caicos. Never in 1,000 years did I expect that type of support. It played such a huge part in bringing me home and hopefully the others are soon to follow.”

His message to those detained and their families – “Keep praying. Stay strong. They’ll be here soon.

“We’re optimistic. Our cases were similar but there are some differences. Hopefully a precedent was set here today.”

A prominent travel advisory on a U.S. State Department website about Turks and Caicos says: “CHECK YOUR BAGS! Do not bring ammunition or firearms to the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

While I am overjoyed to see Bryan Hagerich will be returning to Pennsylvania and reuniting 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