Intoxicated, Escaped Fugitive From Connecticut Found In Wayne: Police

Update: This article now includes info on Anthony Butler's escape charge.

WAYNE, NJ — An intoxicated man yelling at passersby in Wayne turned out to be a fugitive wanted for escaping in Connecticut, police said Tuesday. Township officers discovered Anthony Butler's fugitive status after seeing him stagger, laugh and yell at people in the township, according to authorities.

Police went to Hamburg Turnpike and Berdan Avenue at about 3 p.m. June 1 for a reportedly suspicious person. They found Butler with three beer cans and the smell of alcohol emanating from him, said Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff.

Officers requested Butler's ID and discovered he was wanted by the Connecticut Department of Corrections for first-degree escape, police said. The Norwich, Connecticut, resident also had an outstanding traffic warrant from Newark, Wayne police said.

Butler escaped from a Connecticut halfway house in 2020, Wayne Police Det. Cpt. Dan Daly told Patch.

Public records in Connecticut show that Butler pleaded guilty in 2019 to second-degree failure to appear and sixth-degree larceny, resulting in combined sentencings of 1 year and 45 days in jail. Butler, 42, also pleaded guilty in February 2020 to second-degree larceny, which landed him a five-year jail sentencing.

Butler was charged in Wayne with being a fugitive from justice. Officials placed him in Passaic County Jail, with extradition pending.