A California inmate who escaped from a prison camp nearly 13 years ago was apprehended last month in New York City, officials announced. Eduardo Hernandez, 42, who had been serving a sentence for armed carjacking, broke out of the Delta Conservation Camp on November 15, 2011.
Hernandez was arrested without incident on May 20 and is set to be returned to California, where he will face additional prison time and possible escape charges, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Details about the arrest were not disclosed, and the NYPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hernandez, along with another inmate, Jose Padilla, was last seen at the minimum-security Delta Conservation Camp in Suisun City around 4:30 a.m. on the day of the escape. Both were wearing orange blaze-colored jeans and shirts marked with “CDCR prisoner.” Padilla remains at large.
The Delta Conservation Camp, co-operated by the corrections department and the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, primarily provides incarcerated fire crews for fire suppression and conservation projects in various counties. Since 1977, 99% of inmates who escaped from such facilities have been recaptured, according to corrections officials.
Hernandez had been serving a 13-year sentence since August 4, 2005, and had completed six years before his escape. His case will be turned over to the Solano County District Attorney’s Office for potential escape charges.
