A 44-year-old prisoner who scaled down five floors of a New York City hospital with a DIY rope made of towels was captured in New Jersey Thursday, according to the NYPD. Police said Yenchun Chen, in custody for criminal possession of a controlled substance, was brought to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital last Friday for a cardiac issue. On Wednesday, Chen reportedly asked for extra towels to take a shower and soon after fled out of his window without anyone noticing, authorities said. He allegedly landed on an air conditioning unit on the second floor, used a ladder to get down on the street, and hopped in a taxi. Chen has been described as a 6’3, 250-pound man with tattoos on his left arm and hand. “When I heard a prisoner escaped through a window, I was just kind of shocked when it happened,” one nurse told ABC 7 NY. The details of his arrest remain unclear, and an investigation into his escape—such as why he wasn’t held at a more secure hospital ward—is underway.
WANTED ESCAPED PRISONER: On 8/9/23 @ 4:30 PM @NYPD13PCT Yenchun Chen was in Dept of Corrections custody inside Mount Sinai Beth Israel located @ 281 1 Ave where he escaped the hospital via a 5th fl window to the street entering a yellow taxi. Any info call us at 800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/qczV7jYco7
