HBCU baseball player Johan Sandoval of Savannah State University is speaking publicly about the traffic stop that led to his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), his nearly two weeks in federal custody, and the fear that has followed him home.
Sandoval, a 22-year-old student-athlete from the Dominican Republic, was released on bond last week while his immigration case continues. Now staying with his fiancée’s family in New York, the reigning HBCU All-Star Game MVP said he is still processing an experience that began while he was driving to the gym on July 3.
“In my mind, I still have the thought that somebody is going to come get me again,” Sandoval told WJCL 22 News.
The interview offered Sandoval’s first detailed public account since his detention became national news earlier this month.
HBCU baseball star recounts ICE arrest
Johan Sandoval said he was driving in New York when a truck suddenly pulled in front of his vehicle.
“I looked down to grab some gum, and when I looked up, this truck pulled up in front of me,” Sandoval said. “I was like, ‘What happened?’ I looked around and was like, is it me?”
According to Sandoval, two armed ICE agents approached him after the stop. He said he complied with their instructions, provided his immigration paperwork, and was taken into custody.
ICE has presented a different account of the arrest. In a July 8 response to WJCL, the agency alleged that Sandoval attempted to flee on foot. Sandoval disputed that description, saying he was frightened but cooperative throughout the encounter.
“I was just kind of scared,” he said. “I was just being really cooperative.”
When asked if he knew federal immigration agents were looking for him, Sandoval said he did not.
“From my perspective, I was doing everything right,” he said.
The competing accounts add another layer of uncertainty to a case that initially raised questions about Sandoval’s student visa and his transfer between colleges.
Sandoval says he slept on the floor in detention
ICE previously said Sandoval entered the United States on a nonimmigrant student visa and that the visa was terminated in April 2025 after he allegedly failed to meet its requirements.
Sandoval said he did not fully understand why he had been detained until several days after his arrest, when his attorney explained the circumstances surrounding his immigration status.
The first days in custody were especially difficult.
“My first two days, it was really hard,” Sandoval said. “I had to sleep on the floor.”
A judge eventually granted Sandoval bond, allowing him to leave federal custody as his case proceeds. He is required to wear an ankle monitor as a condition of his release.
His family is now raising money to cover legal expenses through an online fundraiser. Lynn Tiberio, the mother of Sandoval’s fiancée, said the family remains firmly behind him.
“He has zero hatred in his heart for anybody,” Tiberio told WJCL. “He is the purest, kindest, most loving, God-fearing man that I know.”
Savannah State addresses disputed documentation
Savannah State conducted its own review after Sandoval’s arrest. The university said it accurately prepared and submitted all required documentation based on the information it had received.
According to the school, the documentation that became central to the case was not provided to Savannah State by Sandoval’s previous institution.
That finding appears to support the family’s earlier contention that the issue may have originated during Sandoval’s transfer process rather than through an intentional failure to maintain his student status.
Savannah State President Jermaine Whirl welcomed the news of Sandoval’s release and expressed the university’s intention to support his return.
“Our foremost concern has always been Johan’s well-being,” Whirl said in a statement reported by WTOC. “We are grateful for this positive outcome and look forward to welcoming Johan back to campus.”
Whirl described Johan Sandoval as a valued member of the Savannah State community and said the university remains committed to supporting his academic and athletic future.
HBCU All-Star Game MVP hopes to return
Sandoval’s detention came shortly after one of the biggest moments of his baseball career.
The Savannah State infielder was named MVP of the 2026 Minority Baseball Prospects HBCU All-Star Game after helping the National League team earn a 6-2 victory at Truist Park in Atlanta. He went 2-for-2 with an RBI double, a run scored and a stolen base.
Weeks later, the rising senior found himself in federal custody with his education, immigration status and baseball career suddenly uncertain.
Johan Sandoval is now home with family, but his legal case is not over. His release on bond permits him to remain outside detention while immigration proceedings continue.
Despite that uncertainty—and the lingering fear created by his arrest—Sandoval said he still hopes to return to Savannah State and play baseball again.
For the HBCU baseball MVP, being released represented a major step. The next is reclaiming the academic and athletic future that was interrupted on July 3.