Manhunt Ends in Mahopac Falls After Police Capture Wanted Man

It was a frightening morning for area residents as police conducted a manhunt with helicopters and search dogs for a wanted man.

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reported Thursday, Sept. 4 that a wanted man was apprehended in Mahopac Falls Friday morning after he crashed a car and fled on foot into the woods.

Jim Xhem Hoti, 25, was arrested at approximately 10:15 a.m. Thursday. His arrest comes after a two hour manhunt that began at around 8:40 a.m. Thursday. Officers were alerted that Mr. Hoti was wanted in New Jersey for alleged grand larceny and saw him driving on Myrtle Avenue in Mahopac Falls. Police attempted to pull him over and when he tried to drive away from police he veered off the road, crashed into a fire hydrant and “careened over an earthen embankment in front of a Myrtle Avenue residence,” according to police. The suspect then fled on foot into the woods.

Police used bloodhounds and a helicopter to search the area. A robo call was made to local residents advising them to lock their homes and vehicles. Sheriffs deputies and investigators from Carmel Police, Kent Police, state troopers, and the Putnam County Emergency Response Team helped in the search.

A resident on Rustic Road in Mahopac Falls called 911 when a man fitting Mr. Hoti’s description was heard knocking on the door of the home. The resident did not answer the door.

A Sheriffs Office investigator spoke with Mr. Hoti on his cell phone for over an hour before persuading him to surrender. The suspect is being processed at the Sheriffs Office, awaiting arraignment in court.

Patch file photo.