Escaped Prisoner Hid In Bathroom Ceiling At Newark Airport: Feds

NEWARK, NJ — Police apprehended a prisoner who briefly escaped the custody of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday, authorities said.

While escorting the prisoner to Terminal C of the airport, he asked officers if he could use the bathroom. When the officers allowed him to enter the facilities, he tried to escape through the ceiling, a CBP spokesperson said.

Police were able to get the prisoner down from the ceiling and take him into custody again. He was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for federal prosecution, authorities said.

The prisoner – a U.S. citizen – was arrested while attempting to leave the United States, even though he had previously been indicted and was prohibited from leaving New York state pending a trial, CBP officials said.

A spokesperson for the Port Authority of NY/NJ released the following statement about the incident:

"Port Authority police assisted in the apprehension of a prisoner who tried to escaped U.S Customs custody today. We received the call at approximately 11:30 a.m. The [Port Authority Police Department] responded and was able to assist in the apprehension of the prisoner. The incident resulted in minimal operational impact to Newark Liberty International Airport."

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