A Rikers Island prisoner is back behind bars after a rare escape last night from the prison, The New York Times reported.
The inmate, 24-year-old burglary suspect Naquan Hill, was noticed missing just before 8 p.m. when officers realized he hadn’t returned after his recreation time.
Hill’s breakout appears to have been no small feat. The Times reported that he would have had to flee from four or more guards to get away. One city official who wished to remain anonymous told the publication that two guards were distracted by five prisoners as Hill dashed over a fence and disappeared.
The official blamed the incident on the guards, stating, “Nobody saw it. This is simply staff negligence.”
The island was put on lockdown, and at around 2:30 a.m., Hill was reportedly discovered in the hills on the outskirts of the island, the Post reported.
Hill allegedly successfully hopped a barbed wire fence, but he was unable to overcome the current of the water around the island to swim to freedom.
