By Michael Benavides
Staff Writter
PLUMSTED – A man who was on the run from authorities for two years was taken into custody without incident in Plumsted Township on the morning of Dec. 13.
The arrest of Wilfredo Rodriguez-Hernandez, 37, concluded a search that began in 2014 when he escaped from the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, Ct.
Police said that at about 10:30 a.m. Dec. 13, the Plumsted Township Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team, K-9 Unit and Patrol Division executed a warrant at the Ivins Drive residence where Rodriguez-Hernandez was believed to be living.
Police said Rodriguez-Hernandez, who is also known by the alias Ezequiel Perez, had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for robbery in Connecticut. According to police, in 2014 he escaped from the correctional facility to which he had been sent and has been sought by law enforcement agencies since that time.
In a Dec. 20 interview, Police Chief Matthew Petrecca said Plumsted police received information from federal authorities on Dec. 12 that an escaped fugitive from Connecticut, specifically Rodriguez-Hernandez, was residing in a home on Ivins Drive.
He said the U.S. Department of State conducted an investigation and determined that Rodriguez-Hernandez had attempted to flee the country by trying to obtain a passport. A warrant for his arrest had been issued by the Connecticut State Police.
Petrecca said Rodriguez-Hernandez was subsequently identified by Plumsted officers who observed him outside the Ivins Drive home. Following Rodriguez-Hernandez’s arrest on Dec. 13, his fingerprints were used to confirm his identity, the chief said.
In addition to being charged on the fugitive warrant, Rodriguez-Hernandez was also charged with being in possession of under 50 grams of a controlled dangerous substance believed to be marijuana.
He was taken into custody without incident and placed in the Ocean County Jail, Toms River, pending extradition to Connecticut, according to police.
Petrecca said he was pleased that Rodriguez-Hernandez was apprehended and that no one in the community was hurt.
“I was concerned about the safety of our residents,” he said. “It is our job to root these types of people out of our town.”
Petrecca said a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of State and the Plumsted police led to Rodriguez-Hernandez being taken into custody.
