Victor Oquendo Official Biography

ByABC News
December 2, 2022, 11:01 AM
Victor Oquendo
Victor Oquendo
ABC News

Victor Oquendo is a correspondent for ABC News based in Miami.

A versatile journalist, he’s covered some of the biggest stories in Florida and around the world. Oquendo was at the site of the tragic building collapse in Surfside, Florida, moments after it fell, leading the network’s coverage on the following weekslong search, rescue efforts and investigation. When Russia invaded Ukraine, he traveled throughout neighboring Poland, documenting the harrowing journey for Ukrainian migrants as they fled the war-torn country and started new lives in a foreign land. Oquendo was also on the scene of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as students were still running for their lives and desperate parents were searching for their children.

In 2017, Oquendo reported live from Puerto Rico as Hurricane Maria made landfall, ravaging the island. Ever since, he’s reported multiple developing stories from San Juan, most notably the 2019 protests against Governor Ricardo A. Rosselló, who begrudgingly resigned from office. He also followed the crisis in Venezuela along the border with Colombia and an earthquake in Guatemala that took the lives of more than 100 people.

Prior to joining ABC News, he worked at the WPLG affiliate for almost a decade as a reporter and anchor for their weekly evening newscasts. He helped lead WPLG’s reporting when the United States restored diplomatic relations with Cuba, traveling to the island to cover Pope Francis’ and President Obama’s visits. In 2016, Oquendo tracked Hurricane Matthew up the East Coast, offering gripping live reports from the field as well as powerful interviews with those whose homes were devastated by the storm. In 2018, he covered Hurricane Michael as it tore through the southeast.

Oquendo started his broadcasting career in sports, working as the weekend sports anchor, covering all of South Florida’s professional and college teams, reporting on the Miami Heat during the LeBron James era, including runs to the NBA Finals in 2010, 2011 and 2013.

He graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in broadcast journalism and international studies.