One Fugitive Captured, One Still Missing After NJ Detention Center Escape

The FBI announced on Tuesday that one of the two remaining detainees who escaped from a New Jersey federal immigration detention center has been apprehended. Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes, a Honduran national, is now in custody, according to FBI spokesperson Amy Thoreson. Andres Felipe Pineda-Mogollon, from Colombia, remains at large following the escape on Thursday night.

The escape occurred at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. Bautista-Reyes, Pineda-Mogollon, and two other individuals broke through a wall and fled from a parking lot, according to U.S. Senator Andy Kim and Homeland Security officials. All four men were in the country illegally and had faced charges from local police in New Jersey and New York City.

Bautista-Reyes was charged in May with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, and a weapons offense. Pineda-Mogollon was charged with minor larceny and burglary. Details regarding Bautista-Reyes' capture were not immediately available.

The FBI had previously increased the reward for information leading to the fugitives' arrest. One of the other escapees, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez, was apprehended in Passaic, New Jersey, the day after the escape. Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada surrendered to authorities in Millville, New Jersey, on Sunday. Sandoval-Lopez was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun and aggravated assault, while Castaneda-Lozada faced charges of burglary, theft, and conspiracy.

The Newark Mayor, Ras Baraka, has been critical of immigration policies and cited reports of disorder and a possible uprising at the facility. However, the company that operates the detention center, GEO Group, stated there was no widespread unrest. Delaney Hall has been the focus of disputes between Democratic officials and the Trump administration.