FBI captures 2 of 4 escaped illegal immigrants from Newark facility

FBI officials in Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday confirmed that two of four escaped illegal immigrant inmates have been detained.

The four inmates, whom the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as “public safety threats,” broke out of Delaney Hall, a privately run ICE detention facility on the evening of June 12.

The FBI announced Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez’s and Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada’s captures on Sunday, while Franklin Norberto Bautista Reyes and Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon remain at-large. The four suspects are from Honduras.

DHS is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to their arrests.

ICE OFFICERS ASSAULTED DURING RAID THAT NABBED 70 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

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.

SUSPECTS STILL ON THE RUN:

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.

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. 

At approximately 9 p.m. on June 12, a group of protesters blocked an SUV from exiting an ancillary gate at Delaney Hall, forcing it to back into the facility.

DHS contested reporting that there had been widespread unrest at the facility, saying the private detention center “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.”

Fox News Digital’s Sandy Ibrahim, Peter Pinedo, Jasmine Baehr and Jennifer Johnson contributed to this report.