Pennsylvania man, Bryan Hagerich, returns home after arrest in Turks and Caicos

The other Americans detained are Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma; Sharitta Grier, 45, of Florida; Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia; and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas.

“It’s just amazing how, in the span of 12 hours, if you look back at 12 years now,” Hagerich told reporters Friday evening after landing in Pittsburgh. “My biggest concern is coaching my kids’ baseball games tomorrow, and this is such a relief.”

Hagerich said his detention was “the most difficult time of my life”, being separated from his family.

“As a father, as a breadwinner and not being that character in my family’s life, it’s a very difficult pill to swallow,” he said.

He said the conditions of his detention were “difficult” and that they were the “darkest days” of his life.

And while he said he was grateful to be home, he pointed out that there were other Americans still in detention on the islands who he said would “be returning home soon.”

A judge in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Friday morning gave a 52-month suspended prison sentence to Hagerich, who pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition on the islands. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $6,500.

Hagerich told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he and his attorneys “made a very, very strong case” in his defense after pleading guilty.

Several lawmakers applauded the decision to release Hagerich from detention in the islands, allowing him to return to his family in Pennsylvania.

A bipartisan congressional delegation visited TCI Monday to urge government leaders to release Americans detained for having ammunition lost in their bags.

“This is great news,” U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said in a statement. “Bryan goes home to his family. It was an honor to meet Bryan and the other Americans detained at TCI this week.

“When we met with TCI officials a few days ago, they made it clear that they wanted this situation resolved,” Fetterman continued. “They recognized that Bryan and the other detained Americans are not arms dealers – they are simply people who made a mistake. I am grateful that the judge recognized that the right thing to do was to send Bryan home. I am also grateful to the U.S. Department of State for being a critical partner in bringing Bryan home.

Fetterman also said he hopes TCI will expedite the processing of other cases of detained Americans so they too can be released soon and return to their families.

Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Guy Reschenthaler said that while he was “thrilled” to see Hagerich return to Pennsylvania and reunite with his wife and children, “this terrifying situation should never have happened to him or him.” nor to the four other Americans who are still awaiting sentencing.”

“As the Turks and Caicos Government works to manage future cases, the British territory must ensure the safety and well-being of American tourists. I will not rest until Americans can once again set foot on their islands without putting their livelihoods at risk,” the congressional representative said.

Hagerich said Friday evening that he was “eternally grateful” for lawmakers’ efforts to secure his release, including the delegation that visited the islands.

“Never in a thousand years did I expect this kind of support,” Hagerich said.

The cases of the five Americans have slight differences, but all five were arrested on their way home after security detected ammunition in their luggage.

Hagerich had ammunition lost from a previous hunting trip in one of the compartments of a large suitcase his family had loaded their belongings into for a family vacation.

Watson had some lost ammunition, also leftovers from a hunting trip, in the liner of his carry-on bag. Grier had stray bullets in the lining of his bag after recently purchasing a gun for his own protection.

Wenrich also said he did not intend to bring bullets to the islands and did not know he had two bullets in his travel backpack until security find.

Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.