"It's really extremely rare that somebody escapes from a prison," said DOC spokesman Matt Schuman. "You see it in movies and on TV, but it doesn't happen often at all."the loosePosted February 03, 2018 at 07:40 AM | Updated February 03, 2018 at 07:40 AM0shares1 Comment
Matt Gray | For NJ.comThirty-five New Jersey inmates are currently listed as escapees from state custody.
The most recent of these escapes, from a halfway house, occurred Jan. 29. The oldest cases on the list occurred nearly 50 years ago.
When one of the state's 20,000 inmates escapes from a prison, youth facility or halfway house, the NJ Department of Corrections' fugitive unit works with local police and the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, led by the U.S. Marshals Service, to track them down. In 2016, U.S. Marshals tracked down more than 88,400 federal, state and local fugitives nationwide.
3-femcon-peet-mccrea-df0c98729e1800e2 File photoFew fled from prisonsOf the 35 currently listed escapees on the New Jersey DOC website, only five fled from prisons. All of those escapes occurred in 1970s.
"It's really extremely rare that somebody escapes from a prison," said DOC spokesman Matt Schuman. "You see it in movies and on TV, but it doesn't happen often at all."
Most flee halfway housesMost of the escapees on the list absconded from halfway houses. These are minimum custody inmates -- those who has demonstrated they can be placed in a setting with fewer restriction-- to serve out the ends of their terms. This setting is intended to prepare them for life after prison, Schuman explained.
Unlike escaping from a prison, there are no bars to break through or fences to climb at a halfway house. Residents leave for work or school, with requirements that they check in with halfway house personnel when the workday or school day is over. Escapees often simply choose not to return to the halfway house for some reason.
"Inmates are given the opportunity to succeed, Schuman said. "If they don't take advantage of that opportunity, they are going to come back to prison."
Escapees aren't the only ones who face penalties in these incidents. In some cases, halfway house operators have been fined for not providing timely notifications of escapes from their facilities.
The penaltyThose who do skip custody usually don't remain free for long. "In almost every case, they are apprehended pretty quickly," Schuman said.
Inmates face an additional 3 to 5 years in prison for escaping from either a halfway house or prison. If violence was involved in the escape, the inmate may face even more time.
The following offenders are listed in order of their escape, from most recent to oldest.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsSalassie J. AdamsSalassie J. Adams, 27, escaped from the Fletcher House halfway house in Camden on Jan. 29. He was serving time for robbery and was due for release by June 2019, according to DOC records.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsKhadija T. MalikKhadija T. Malik, 28, escaped from Garrett House, a halfway house in Camden for female offenders, on Jan. 24 of this year. She was serving sentences for attempted aggravated assault and drug offenses.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsRaymond B. EvansRaymond B. Evans, 26, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden, on Dec. 21, 2017. He was serving a sentence for weapons possession and was due for release by November of this year, according to state records.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsAldo V. MoroAldo V. Moro, 28, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden on Dec. 7, 2017. He was serving a 5-year sentence for a pair of robberies and was due for release by December 2018, according to prison records.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsAdriean HullAdriean Hull, 33, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Dec. 2, 2017. He was serving out the remainder of a four-year sentence for theft and was due for release by March 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsWaverly McCrayWaverly McCray, 44, escaped from an Urban Renewal Corp. halfway house in Newark on Nov. 3, 2017. He was serving the remainder of a term for robbery, aggravated assault and theft, and was due for release by May 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsDominique McKinnieDominique McKinnie, 24, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Oct. 23, 2017. He was serving a 6-year term for distributing drugs on school property and was due for release by July 2020.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsMalachi FieldsMalachi Fields, 23, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Oct. 10, 2017. He was serving the remainder of a term for drug and weapons charges and was due for release by October 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsLuis H. HernandezLuis H. Hernandez, 46, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Sept. 29, 2017. He was serving a 10-year term on a drug charge and was due for release by July 2021.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsThomas EisengartThomas Eisengart, 28, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Sept. 21, 2017. He was serving an 8-year term for robbery and was due for release by June 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsKristopher FudaliKristopher Fudali, 39, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on Sept. 19, 2017. He was serving terms for burglary and theft, and was due to be released in July 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsAndy LopezAndy Lopez, 33, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on Sept. 18. He was serving 10 years for a drug charge and was due to be released in June 2021.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsDyesha BrunsonDyesha Brunson, 25, escaped from Millicent Fenwick House, a halfway house in Paterson, on Sept. 12, 2017. She was serving time for burglary and credit card fraud and was due for release by September 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsDaquan A. WattDaquan A. Watt, 21, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Sept. 8, 2017. He was serving time for drug and weapons charges and was due to be released by January 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsMichael J. WalkerMichael J. Walker, 45, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on Aug. 24, 2017. He was serving a 4-year term for burglary and was due to be released by Dec. 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsJoseph L. BrownJoseph L. Brown, 47, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on Aug. 14, 2017. He was serving 5 years on drug charges and was due to be released by August 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsForrest D. GravesForrest D. Graves, 30, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden on Aug. 11, 2017. He was serving the remainder of his term on robbery and theft charges and was due for release by March 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsDavid BrisbonDavid Brisbon, 35, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on July 11, 2017. He was serving the remainder of his sentence on weapons and criminal trespassing charges and was due for release by June 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsMelvin A. RiveraMelvin A. Rivera, 36, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden on May 11, 2017. He was serving the remainder of a sentence on a weapons charge and was due to be released by November 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsEdward S. RosarioEdward S. Rosario, 28, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Jan. 5, 2017. He was serving a 4-year term on a weapons possession charge.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsAmon BosemanAmon Boseman, 26, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on June 3, 2016. He was serving time on robbery, drug and hindering apprehension charges and was due for release by February 2018.
NJ Dept. of Corrections
Luis C. ParrillaLuis C. Parrilla, 33, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Feb. 11, 2016. He was serving an 8-year term on a drug charge and was due for release by March 2019.
NJ Dept. of Corrections
Jesus M. CubanoJesus M. Cubano, 36, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on July 10, 2011. He was serving time on drug and conspiracy charges.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Ignacio M. CosmeIgnacio M. Cosme, 46, escaped from Tully House, a halfway house in Newark, on Jan. 22, 2002. He was serving time for burglary and drug offenses, and was originally incarcerated in 1999.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsBenjamin DelcerroBenjamin Delcerro, 63, escaped from Tully House in Newark on June 26, 1999. He was serving time for burglary.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Rudolfo ArroyoRudolfo Arroyo, 57, escaped from a Kintock halfway house in Newark on Sept. 22, 1997. He was serving time on drug charges.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsNelson V. AmadorNelson V. Amador, 40, escaped from Tully House in Newark on Aug. 18, 1997. He was serving time for a robbery conviction.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Enrique SilvaEnrique Silva, 73, escaped from Riverfront State Prison on May 16, 1995. He was serving time for drug distribution.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Allen PoindexterAllen Poindexter, 57, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden on July 27, 1990. He was serving time on theft, drug and conspiracy charges.Jorge Vera
Jorge Vera, 66, escaped from Bergen County Jail's pre-admission facility on Jan. 11, 1984. He was serving time on an armed robbery charge. The DOC could not provide a photo of Vera.Joanne Chesimard
Joanne Chesimard, 70, was sentenced to life in prison in 1979 for murdering a New Jersey state trooper in 1973.
She escaped from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women near Clifton on Nov. 2, 1979, after three visitors to the facility pulled guns on the guards and escorted Chesimard to freedom. She now lives in Cuba under the name Assata Shakur.She's included on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists. Former Gov. Chris Christie and President Donald Trump have called on Cuba to return Chesimard to the United States.
The FBI and New Jersey Attorney General's office have offered a $2 million reward for information leading to her arrest.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Edna AndersonEdna Anderson, 80, escaped from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women on March 20, 1976. She was serving a 6-year sentence on drug charges.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsMagnolia SheffieldMagnolia Sheffield, 71, was four years into a 10-year sentence for murder when she escaped from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women on March 10, 1975. She was convicted in 1971 in Passaic County.Reuters/NJ Dept. of Corrections
George WrightGeorge Wright, 74, was serving a 30-year sentence for murdering World War II veteran Walter Patterson at a Wall Township gas station in 1963 when he escaped from Bayside State Prison on Aug. 22, 1970. He fled with fellow inmate George Brown by hot-wiring the warden's car, according to news reports.
The pair joined the Black Liberation Army and took part in the 1972 hijacking of an airliner before escaping in Algiers.
Wright was tracked to Portugal in 2011, where he had apparently been living since 1993. Portugese authorities refused to extradite him to the United States, arguing that he was now a citizen of that country and the statute of limitations for his charges in the United States had expired.
Wright remains in Portugal, where he married and raised a family. He remains on the FBI's most wanted list.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsGeorge BrownGeorge Brown, 73, remains on the list of New Jersey escapees. In 1978, he was arrested in France in connection with the hijacking and sentenced to 5 years in prison. Efforts to extradite him to the United States have proven unsuccessful, New Jersey prison officials said.
Here's how you can helpAnyone who knows the whereabouts of an escapee on the list should contact their local police department or call NJ DOC's Special Investigations Division at 609-292-4036, ext. 5617.
Matt Gray may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.
Matt Gray | For NJ.comThirty-five New Jersey inmates are currently listed as escapees from state custody.
The most recent of these escapes, from a halfway house, occurred Jan. 29. The oldest cases on the list occurred nearly 50 years ago.
When one of the state's 20,000 inmates escapes from a prison, youth facility or halfway house, the NJ Department of Corrections' fugitive unit works with local police and the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, led by the U.S. Marshals Service, to track them down. In 2016, U.S. Marshals tracked down more than 88,400 federal, state and local fugitives nationwide.
3-femcon-peet-mccrea-df0c98729e1800e2 File photoFew fled from prisonsOf the 35 currently listed escapees on the New Jersey DOC website, only five fled from prisons. All of those escapes occurred in 1970s.
"It's really extremely rare that somebody escapes from a prison," said DOC spokesman Matt Schuman. "You see it in movies and on TV, but it doesn't happen often at all."
Most flee halfway housesMost of the escapees on the list absconded from halfway houses. These are minimum custody inmates -- those who has demonstrated they can be placed in a setting with fewer restriction-- to serve out the ends of their terms. This setting is intended to prepare them for life after prison, Schuman explained.
Unlike escaping from a prison, there are no bars to break through or fences to climb at a halfway house. Residents leave for work or school, with requirements that they check in with halfway house personnel when the workday or school day is over. Escapees often simply choose not to return to the halfway house for some reason.
"Inmates are given the opportunity to succeed, Schuman said. "If they don't take advantage of that opportunity, they are going to come back to prison."
Escapees aren't the only ones who face penalties in these incidents. In some cases, halfway house operators have been fined for not providing timely notifications of escapes from their facilities.
The penaltyThose who do skip custody usually don't remain free for long. "In almost every case, they are apprehended pretty quickly," Schuman said.
Inmates face an additional 3 to 5 years in prison for escaping from either a halfway house or prison. If violence was involved in the escape, the inmate may face even more time.
The following offenders are listed in order of their escape, from most recent to oldest.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsSalassie J. AdamsSalassie J. Adams, 27, escaped from the Fletcher House halfway house in Camden on Jan. 29. He was serving time for robbery and was due for release by June 2019, according to DOC records.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsKhadija T. MalikKhadija T. Malik, 28, escaped from Garrett House, a halfway house in Camden for female offenders, on Jan. 24 of this year. She was serving sentences for attempted aggravated assault and drug offenses.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsRaymond B. EvansRaymond B. Evans, 26, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden, on Dec. 21, 2017. He was serving a sentence for weapons possession and was due for release by November of this year, according to state records.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsAldo V. MoroAldo V. Moro, 28, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden on Dec. 7, 2017. He was serving a 5-year sentence for a pair of robberies and was due for release by December 2018, according to prison records.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsAdriean HullAdriean Hull, 33, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Dec. 2, 2017. He was serving out the remainder of a four-year sentence for theft and was due for release by March 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsWaverly McCrayWaverly McCray, 44, escaped from an Urban Renewal Corp. halfway house in Newark on Nov. 3, 2017. He was serving the remainder of a term for robbery, aggravated assault and theft, and was due for release by May 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsDominique McKinnieDominique McKinnie, 24, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Oct. 23, 2017. He was serving a 6-year term for distributing drugs on school property and was due for release by July 2020.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsMalachi FieldsMalachi Fields, 23, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Oct. 10, 2017. He was serving the remainder of a term for drug and weapons charges and was due for release by October 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsLuis H. HernandezLuis H. Hernandez, 46, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Sept. 29, 2017. He was serving a 10-year term on a drug charge and was due for release by July 2021.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsThomas EisengartThomas Eisengart, 28, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Sept. 21, 2017. He was serving an 8-year term for robbery and was due for release by June 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsKristopher FudaliKristopher Fudali, 39, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on Sept. 19, 2017. He was serving terms for burglary and theft, and was due to be released in July 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsAndy LopezAndy Lopez, 33, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on Sept. 18. He was serving 10 years for a drug charge and was due to be released in June 2021.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsDyesha BrunsonDyesha Brunson, 25, escaped from Millicent Fenwick House, a halfway house in Paterson, on Sept. 12, 2017. She was serving time for burglary and credit card fraud and was due for release by September 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsDaquan A. WattDaquan A. Watt, 21, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Sept. 8, 2017. He was serving time for drug and weapons charges and was due to be released by January 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsMichael J. WalkerMichael J. Walker, 45, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on Aug. 24, 2017. He was serving a 4-year term for burglary and was due to be released by Dec. 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsJoseph L. BrownJoseph L. Brown, 47, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on Aug. 14, 2017. He was serving 5 years on drug charges and was due to be released by August 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsForrest D. GravesForrest D. Graves, 30, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden on Aug. 11, 2017. He was serving the remainder of his term on robbery and theft charges and was due for release by March 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsDavid BrisbonDavid Brisbon, 35, escaped from Hope Hall halfway house in Camden on July 11, 2017. He was serving the remainder of his sentence on weapons and criminal trespassing charges and was due for release by June 2019.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsMelvin A. RiveraMelvin A. Rivera, 36, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden on May 11, 2017. He was serving the remainder of a sentence on a weapons charge and was due to be released by November 2018.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsEdward S. RosarioEdward S. Rosario, 28, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Jan. 5, 2017. He was serving a 4-year term on a weapons possession charge.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsAmon BosemanAmon Boseman, 26, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on June 3, 2016. He was serving time on robbery, drug and hindering apprehension charges and was due for release by February 2018.
NJ Dept. of Corrections
Luis C. ParrillaLuis C. Parrilla, 33, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on Feb. 11, 2016. He was serving an 8-year term on a drug charge and was due for release by March 2019.
NJ Dept. of Corrections
Jesus M. CubanoJesus M. Cubano, 36, escaped from the Kintock North Substance Abuse facility in Newark on July 10, 2011. He was serving time on drug and conspiracy charges.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Ignacio M. CosmeIgnacio M. Cosme, 46, escaped from Tully House, a halfway house in Newark, on Jan. 22, 2002. He was serving time for burglary and drug offenses, and was originally incarcerated in 1999.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsBenjamin DelcerroBenjamin Delcerro, 63, escaped from Tully House in Newark on June 26, 1999. He was serving time for burglary.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Rudolfo ArroyoRudolfo Arroyo, 57, escaped from a Kintock halfway house in Newark on Sept. 22, 1997. He was serving time on drug charges.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsNelson V. AmadorNelson V. Amador, 40, escaped from Tully House in Newark on Aug. 18, 1997. He was serving time for a robbery conviction.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Enrique SilvaEnrique Silva, 73, escaped from Riverfront State Prison on May 16, 1995. He was serving time for drug distribution.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Allen PoindexterAllen Poindexter, 57, escaped from Fletcher House in Camden on July 27, 1990. He was serving time on theft, drug and conspiracy charges.Jorge Vera
Jorge Vera, 66, escaped from Bergen County Jail's pre-admission facility on Jan. 11, 1984. He was serving time on an armed robbery charge. The DOC could not provide a photo of Vera.Joanne Chesimard
Joanne Chesimard, 70, was sentenced to life in prison in 1979 for murdering a New Jersey state trooper in 1973.
She escaped from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women near Clifton on Nov. 2, 1979, after three visitors to the facility pulled guns on the guards and escorted Chesimard to freedom. She now lives in Cuba under the name Assata Shakur.She's included on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists. Former Gov. Chris Christie and President Donald Trump have called on Cuba to return Chesimard to the United States.
The FBI and New Jersey Attorney General's office have offered a $2 million reward for information leading to her arrest.NJ Dept. of Corrections
Edna AndersonEdna Anderson, 80, escaped from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women on March 20, 1976. She was serving a 6-year sentence on drug charges.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsMagnolia SheffieldMagnolia Sheffield, 71, was four years into a 10-year sentence for murder when she escaped from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women on March 10, 1975. She was convicted in 1971 in Passaic County.Reuters/NJ Dept. of Corrections
George WrightGeorge Wright, 74, was serving a 30-year sentence for murdering World War II veteran Walter Patterson at a Wall Township gas station in 1963 when he escaped from Bayside State Prison on Aug. 22, 1970. He fled with fellow inmate George Brown by hot-wiring the warden's car, according to news reports.
The pair joined the Black Liberation Army and took part in the 1972 hijacking of an airliner before escaping in Algiers.
Wright was tracked to Portugal in 2011, where he had apparently been living since 1993. Portugese authorities refused to extradite him to the United States, arguing that he was now a citizen of that country and the statute of limitations for his charges in the United States had expired.
Wright remains in Portugal, where he married and raised a family. He remains on the FBI's most wanted list.
NJ Dept. of CorrectionsGeorge BrownGeorge Brown, 73, remains on the list of New Jersey escapees. In 1978, he was arrested in France in connection with the hijacking and sentenced to 5 years in prison. Efforts to extradite him to the United States have proven unsuccessful, New Jersey prison officials said.
Here's how you can helpAnyone who knows the whereabouts of an escapee on the list should contact their local police department or call NJ DOC's Special Investigations Division at 609-292-4036, ext. 5617.
Matt Gray may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.