California prisoner who escaped in 2011 is caught in New York City, faces extradition

A man who escaped from a California prison camp in 2011 has been captured in New York City, officials announced Friday.

Authorities said Eduardo Hernandez, 42, was arrested without incident May 20 and will soon be extradited back to California, where he could face charges for his escape in Solano County.

Hernandez was six years into a 13-year sentence for carjacking when he stole away from the minimum-security Delta Camp in Suisun City in 2011. He fled with another inmate, Jose Padilla.

The men were last seen about 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 15. Despite both men wearing orange jeans and shirts labeled “C.D.C.R. prisoner,” they vanished. Their escape was heavily covered in the media.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation referred reporters to the New York Police Department for details on how Hernandez was apprehended. NYPD officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

California prison officials said that since 1977, 99% of “people who have left an adult institution, camp, or community based program without permission” have been caught.

Padilla is not among them. Officials said Saturday that he has “not yet been apprehended.”