Homeland Security reveals identities of the 4 ‘public safety threats’ who escaped Newark ICE facility
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Department of Homeland Security has revealed the identities of the four migrants who escaped a Newark ICE facility on Thursday night, identifying all four as “public safety threats” who are still at large.
The agency is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the four migrants who broke out of Delaney Hall, a privately run ICE detention facility on Thursday night, amid chaotic scenes both inside and outside the facility.
According to DHS, “the four criminal illegal aliens currently evading federal law enforcement are public safety threats.”
DHS identified the four escaped migrants as Honduran illegals Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes and Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez and Colombian illegals Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada and Andres Pineda-Mogollon, each of whom has previously been arrested for felony offenses including aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a handgun and terroristic threats.
Bautista-Reyes illegally entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration and was arrested by the Wayne Township, New Jersey, Police Department on May 3 for aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.
Sandoval-Lopez illegally entered the U.S. as a minor in 2019 and was arrested by the Passaic Police Department in October for unlawful possession of a handgun and again on February 15 for aggravated assault.
Castaneda-Lozada entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was arrested by the Hammonton Police Department on May 15 for burglary, theft and conspiracy to commit burglary.
Pineda-Mogollon entered the U.S. in 2023 and overstayed his tourist visa. He was arrested by the New York City Police Department on April 25 for larceny and again on May 21 by the Union, New Jersey, Police Department for residential burglary, conspiracy to commit residential burglary and possession of burglary tools.
ICE OFFICERS ASSAULTED DURING RAID THAT NABBED 70 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AT MEAT PLANT: DHS
Immigration attorney Mustafa Cetin told NJ.com that around 50 detainees at the private facility pushed down a dormitory wall after becoming agitated when meals were delayed.
“It’s about the food, and some of the detainees were getting aggressive and it turned violent,” Cetin said.
He added that his client reported the wall was “not very strong” and described detainees hanging bedsheets in what may have been an escape attempt. The client also said he smelled gas during the incident.
By 6 p.m., dozens of officers from the Essex County Sheriff’s Office and Newark Police were present, according to Rutgers University-Newark professor Whitney Strub, who posted images of the police presence and said he and others outside the jail “were all coughing at the same time,” after being exposed to what they believed was “some kind of gas,” NJ.com reported.
DEMOCRAT ACCUSES TRUMP OF UNLEASHING ‘CAMPAIGN OF TERROR’ ON ILLEGALS AS LA RIOTS RAGE
At approximately 9 p.m., a group of protesters blocked an SUV from exiting an ancillary gate at Delaney Hall, forcing it to back into the facility.
PIX11 News reported that the escapees were seen running near Turnpike 78 and Delancey Street.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
DHS contested reporting that there had been widespread unrest at the facility, saying “this privately held facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services, including around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities to practice their religious beliefs.”
In a Friday statement, a senior DHS official said that “DHS has become aware of four detainees at the privately held Delaney Hall Detention Facility escaping” and that “additional law enforcement partners have been brought in to find these escapees and a BOLO has been disseminated.”
The senior official encouraged the public to call emergency services or the ICE tip line with any relevant information on the four escapees.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Jennifer Johnson contributed to this report.