New Jersey

Second migrant who escaped New Jersey ICE detention captured, two runaways still at large

Published

6 months ago

June 16, 2025

Second migrant who escaped New Jersey ICE detention captured, two runaways still at large

A second migrant who escaped a New Jersey Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center during a detainee uprising Friday was captured Sunday – leaving two more still on the lam.

Two out of four migrants are now back in custody after they fled the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, after as many as 50 detainees reportedly staged a revolt.

On Sunday, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, of Colombia, was taken back into custody, officials said. He was arrested in May on suspicion of burglary, theft and conspiracy to commit burglary, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

His capture came a day after the first of the escapees, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez was nabbed in Passaic by FBI and ICE agents on Saturday.

Sandoval-Lopez, of Honduras, entered the US as a minor in 2019 and was arrested first in February on an aggravated assault charge and later in October on charges of unlawful possession of a handgun, according to DHS.

The two other detainees, Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes, of Honduras, and Andres Pineda-Mongollon, of Colombia, are still at large.

The four men originally escaped on Friday during an “uprising” within the privately run facility that created a cover for their daring jailbreak. They somehow broke through a “drywall with a mesh interior” in a unit that connected to an exterior wall and into the parking lot, New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim said at a news conference.

However, DHS contradicted Kim’s claims of supposed chaos within the detention center, asserting that there had been no “widespread unrest” on the day of the escape.

The agency claimed that the four men had immigrated to the United States illegally between 2019 and 2023.

Bautista-Reyes was arrested in May on charges of aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, according to DHS.

Pineda-Mongollon of Colombia overstayed his tourist visa after entering the United States in 2023 and was arrested in April for petit larceny and, later, suspicion of residential burglary, conspiracy to commit residential burglary and possession of burglary tools in May, according to DHS.

The department labeled all four men as “public safety threats.”

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Related Topics:escapes Featured immigrants immigration Metro new jersey US News

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New Jersey

NJ casino workers continue push to end smoking loophole

Published

6 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

NJ casino workers continue push to end smoking loophole

TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) — New Jersey casino workers, who are pushing to permanently ban smoking in their workplaces, held a rally in Trenton on Monday.

A hearing was held to discuss a lawsuit that aims to close the smoking loophole in the Garden State.

For years, casino workers have been pursuing protections against secondhand smoke in their workplaces.

RELATED | Judge allows smoking to continue in Atlantic City casinos, dealing blow to workers

New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act largely bans indoor smoking, but casinos have a long-standing exemption.

The lawsuit filed last April by the United Auto Workers, which represents dealers at the Bally’s, Caesars and Tropicana casinos.

In August 2024, a judge ruled in favor of the casinos to allow smoking to continue.

“Casino workers are expected to clock in to work every day despite inevitably facing a toxic environment that could cause countless health issues, including cancer, heart disease, and asthma,” said Nancy Erika Smith, the lawyer representing Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) and the UAW on Monday.

“We’re asking the court to find the exemption in New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act unconstitutional and void it immediately. We hope this case will serve as a precedent for casinos across the country to close their smoking loopholes and stop poisoning their workers,” added Smith.

The casinos have warned that thousands of jobs and millions in gambling revenue and taxes could be lost if smoking was banned.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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New Jersey

11-Vehicle Crash Closes Turnpike, College Student Abducted: NJ Weekend

Published

18 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

11-Vehicle Crash Closes Turnpike, College Student Abducted: NJ Weekend

A teenager was shot to death in Jersey City, a woman was killed in a fiery crash with a dump truck in Ocean County, and a man is in critical condition after an SUV hit him in a Princeton crosswalk.

Here are the headlines from the weekend in New Jersey you may have missed.

Teen Shot Dead In Jersey City Apartment, Prosecutor Says

A 16-year-old boy was found shot to death in Jersey City on Friday night, prosecutors said.

Woman Killed In Fiery Head-On Dump Truck Crash In Ocean County

A woman was killed Friday when her van hit a dump truck head-on in Jackson and burst into flames, Jackson police said.

Evelin Villanueva-Detejeda, 43, of Perth Amboy, was killed in the crash that happened about 2 p.m. on Toms River Road (Route 571) near Osprey Place, Sgt. Edward Travisano said.

Six people sustained minor injuries in the collision late Friday afternoon, according to State Police Tpr. Christopher Postorino.

Read more: 11-Vehicle Crash, Overturned Truck Shut Down Turnpike In South Jersey: Police

NJ College Student Abducted From Campus, Sexually Assaulted By Armed Man, Police Say

A Union County man is facing a slew of charges after kidnapping a woman, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Akram Elsayed, 28, of Roselle, has been arrested after an investigation found that he’d kidnapped a woman and handcuffed her to the door of a car, police said.

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