'Rojas Is Back In Custody,' Escaped Westchester Inmate Caught In Bronx

YONKERS, NY — The Yonkers Police Department reports that it has successfully captured Geraldo Rojas, the escaped prisoner on the run since yesterday morning.

After an approximately twenty-nine hour manhunt, detectives assigned to the Major Case Squad and Field Intelligence Division, along with Agents and Task Force officers assigned to the FBI Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, located Rojas after he escaped from Saint Joseph’s Hospital.

Rojas was found in the Bronx and was taken into custody without incident. Police officials credit the swift response from law enforcement for ensuring that the escapee could not flee further.

SEE ALSO: Prisoner Remains At Large After Escaping Custody In Westchester

"We are relieved that Geraldo Rojas is back in custody," Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said in a statement released after the fugitive was captured. "Our dedicated Detectives and Task Force Officers worked tirelessly to locate and apprehend Rojas to ensure the safety of our citizens. Their unwavering commitment to upholding the law serves as a powerful reminder that fugitives will not evade justice in Yonkers and that public safety remains a top priority for our city."

Rojas was arrested and booked on July 21, by the Yonkers Police Department for robberies that occurred in Yonkers. On July 22, before Rojas could appear in court, he suffered an undisclosed "medical event" that required Yonkers police officers to take him to Saint Joseph’s Hospital. He was arraigned by a judge in the hospital early afternoon on July 22, and remanded to the Westchester County Jail, awaiting trial. However, because he was not medically discharged from the hospital, custody of Rojas was transferred to the Westchester County Department of Correction.

According to Yonkers police, county correction officers were sent to assume the prisoner watch of Rojas at Saint Joseph’s Hospital, beginning at approximately 6 p.m. At approximately 4:30 a.m. the following morning, Rojas managed to escape.

Yonkers Police Department Major Case detectives and officers assigned to the Yonkers Police Department AWARE Room reviewed hours of surveillance video around the city, tracking the fugitive's escape route to lead the investigation in the right direction.

Escape from custody, in this case, is a crime punishable as a felony in the State of New York —because of this, the Yonkers Police Department then assumed the primary investigative role in the escape. The Westchester County Department of Correction, however, is the primary investigative agency of the internal investigation into the details of the prisoner's escape at Saint Joseph’s Hospital.

"The apprehension of this felon speaks to the great Police work and collaboration among our Yonkers Police Detective Division and FBI," City of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in a statement released Monday afternoon. "In just 29 hours, this individual is off the streets and in custody, ensuring the safety of our residents. Congratulations on a job well done."

Rojas is now being held in the City of Yonkers Jail, awaiting transport to the Westchester County Jail.