MARCY, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – Oneida County Sheriffs arrested a man who claims to be homeless after he allegedly tried to kill someone by choking them and hitting them with a beer bottle.

Officers were called to Route 49 in Marcy between the Route 291 and River Road exits at approximately 6:00 AM on Sunday, May 21 to respond to an injured man walking in the roadway. According to officers, the victim and the suspect – 32-year-old Henry Estuardo Castaneda – were acquaintances.

According to police, Castaneda was driving on Route 49 when the victim allegedly used disparaging remarks at Castaneda, which enraged him. Castaneda then allegedly pulled the car over on the side of the road and the two got out of the car, when Castaneda pushed him down. He then allegedly began choking the victim and struck him repeatedly on the head with a beer bottle.

The victim was transported to Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, where he was treated for cuts to his head. Castaneda was subsequently arrested and is currently being held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility, where he is awaiting arraignment.

Castaneda is currently being charged with second-degree Attempted Murder and second-degree Assault, both felonies.

UPDATE (May 24, 2023) — Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol has provided an update on this case on Wednesday, May 24.

According to Maciol, Castaneda is currently a resident of Guatemala and is in the United States illegally. He has believed to have been in Oneida County for approximately two months and has been working under an assumed identity since he entered the United States. Maciol says that the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with members of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who are investigating Castaneda’s documents and immigration status.

Castaneda was arraigned on the charges and is currently being held at the Oneida County Jail on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond.

The victim has since been released from Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital in Utica after being treated for head wounds.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who may have seen Castaneda’s vehicle — an orange 2005 Honda Element with Texas plates — pulled over on the side of the road at the time of the incident or have any further information to contact the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office at 315-765-2737