ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A judge made an unusual decision on Monday for a man convicted of carjacking a balloon pilot during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. According to the criminal complaint, in 2024, the victim was on his way to a work briefing when he was run off the road in a neighborhood near the Big-I. They forced him out of his vehicle at gunpoint and stole the vehicle.
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Investigators used cell phone data and a confession from a juvenile co-conspirator to track down Nasiah Perea. He was convicted of armed robbery in February. The balloon pilot who was robbed spoke in court Monday afternoon about the effect crime has on the pilot community. “Quite frankly, Albuquerque does not have the best reputation among balloon pilots, because every year there’s a balloon truck or a balloon trailer stolen….if that comes out, it could very definitely affect Balloon Fiesta, which is the biggest event we have here in New Mexico. For those reasons, I’m asking you to give the maximum sentence you can, to dissuade others from thinking this was a good idea,” said Ohio Knox.
Judge Emeterio Rudolfo was scheduled to sentence Perea, but in an unusual move, decided to postpone the sentencing. “What I’m going to do is um, don’t know if we would get any new information, but I’m going to send you to the Department of Corrections for a 60-day evaluation. At the very least, that will give you a taste and see what prison really looks like,” said Judge Rudolfo.
Perea was over 18 at the time of the carjacking. The new sentencing date has not yet been set…