N.J. Prisoner With Violent Past Escaped, Found: Authorities

One prisoner with a violent past escaped from a New Jersey prison this past week, while another turned himself in this week to a prison in Ewing.

Najir Tripp, 22, of Trenton, escaped from the Central Reception and Assignment Facility, a Department of Corrections prison on the Trenton border, on May 26, according to The Trentonian. The DOC alerted the public of the escape on Saturday, when the agency posted the escape on its website, according to the publication.

The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, without providing additional details, said Tripp has been found and has returned to the Central Reception and Assignment Facility.

The Trentonian also reported this week that Hamilton Morgan, who went on a violent four-month crime spree in 2000, had escaped from a halfway house in Trenton. Morgan turned himself in to CRAF night after appearing on the Trentonian cover this week.

Tripp is a Trenton man who was on probation when he was arrested in April 2016 for allegedly shooting a 20-year-old man in a drive-by shooting the month before, according to The Trentonian.

Tripp was arrested on charges that on March 3 he shot a Trenton man who was walking near Donnelly Homes on the 900 block of Southard Street, according to The Trentonian. The victim told police he noticed a dark-colored vehicle drive past him and heard multiple gunshots. He was struck in the leg and treated at the hospital.

Tripp was charged in April with aggravated assault and weapons offenses, according to nj.com.

We'll have more information as it comes in.

Photo courtesy of Mercer County Prosecutor's Office