New York City police are looking for an inmate who managed to flee by using a makeshift rope to scale down a hospital building.
What happened: Yenchun Chen, 44, reportedly escaped from Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in Gramercy Park at around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. After asking to take a shower, he tied up some bed sheets and used them to rappel down from a fifth-floor bathroom window.
The aftermath: Chen landed on an air-conditioning unit and climbed a ladder to descend to the ground. He then hailed a yellow taxicab heading southbound on Second Avenue.
A man believed to be Chen was reportedly arrested in New Jersey on Thursday. However, the man turned out to be someone else.
About the suspect: Chen was arrested on July 31 for criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was reportedly hospitalized on Aug. 4 after experiencing a cardiac issue and was under the custody of the Department of Corrections.
Police described Chen as 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and tattoos on his left arm and left hand. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and tan pants. He also wore a hospital bracelet.
Anyone with information on Chen’s whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Tips may also be submitted via their website or messaging them on Twitter @NYPDTips.
