Former Working Families Party Organizer Arrested in 2024 Homicide Case

A former full-time organizer for the Pennsylvania Working Families Party was arrested last month and charged in connection with a July 2024 homicide in Philadelphia. The arrest was first reported by local media.

According to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sergio Hyland was taken into custody at his residence on April 17. He faces charges in the fatal shooting of a 30-year-old woman who was found deceased last summer in North Philadelphia. Police reports state that officers recovered firearms and ammunition at the time of his arrest, which Hyland was not legally permitted to possess due to prior convictions.

Hyland served as a criminal justice organizer for the Pennsylvania Working Families Party following his release from prison in 2022, where he had been incarcerated for more than two decades. He is no longer affiliated with the party, though its unsure when exactly the separation occurred in relation to his arrest. Earlier in April, he was reportedly involved in a joint press release on behalf of the party endorsing a candidate for Philadelphia District Attorney. That release no longer appears to be available online.

In a public statement quoted by The Inquirer, the Working Families Party expressed condolences to all those impacted and said it was “shocked and troubled to learn about the arrest of one of its Philadelphia employees and the seriousness of the charges.” The full text of the statement has not been made publicly available.

Notably, the candidate endorsed by the party last month, incumbent District Attorney Larry Krasner, is now overseeing Hyland’s case. Krasner’s office stated in the report that it will continue to handle things moving forward and prosecute Hyland “to the fullest extent of the law.” At the time of this writing, Hyland remains in custody and the case is ongoing.

Thank you to reader Actually for alerting us to the original story.