Border Patrol Captures Inmates Who Escaped From Monterey Co. Jail

SALINAS, CA — Two inmates who escaped from the Monterey County Adult Detention Facility early Sunday have been recaptured, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday.

Sheriff's detectives are currently transporting both men — Santos Samuel Fonseca, 21, and Jonathan Salazar, 20 — back to Monterey County after they were captured by U.S. Customs and Border Protection around midnight Tuesday as they tried to walk across the border from Tijuana back into the U.S. at the San Ysidro crossing.

Fonseca and Salazar will be housed alone once returned to the Salinas jail facility, according to the sheriff's office. The jail has undergone at least three security upgrades since the escape, the sheriff's office said.

Fonseca and Salazar were both awaiting trial on unrelated murder charges along with numerous other felony charges when they slipped away Sunday, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. Both men had been in custody since 2018.

During a press conference held Monday, the sheriff's office revealed the two inmates escaped through a hole they dug in a jail bathroom ceiling. After punching out sheet rock and a metal screen, the men kicked open a hatch that led to the rear of the jail and a construction area, which allowed them access to the outside. The duo identified the escape route as security camera blind spots, according to the sheriff's office.