NEW YORK — The FBI brought a man accused of a decades-old murder in Queens back to the United States from Mexico Thursday after he had been on the run for more than 20 years.
Nikolay Natividad allegedly shot Jamal Salas-Joya four times in the back and leg late on July 5, 1991, on Junction Boulevard in Corona, Queens. He was then was able to elude authorities and is believed to have been living in Mexico since 2007 after being deported from the US.
“Mr. Nativdad was brought home to face the justice he evaded for more than 20 years," said FBI Assistant Director Janice Fedarcyk. "The FBI remains committed to locating fugitives who evade both the law and their capture.”
Nativdad was arrested by Mexican federal police in June 2010 and had been fighting extradition.
A warrant for his arrest was issued in Feb. 2009 and he was placed on red notice with international police, Iterpol, in May 2009.
“I want to commend Detective James Osorio of the NYPD’s Cold Case Squad for tenaciously pursuing homicide suspect Nikolay Natividad for many years, even after he was able to get himself deported in order to avoid prosecution," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
