The last of four illegal immigrants who escaped from a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey has been captured, the FBI announced Thursday, bringing an end to a nationwide manhunt that began last month.
Andres Felipe Pineda-Mogollon, a Colombian national who overstayed his U.S. tourist visa, was arrested during a traffic stop in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood. The FBI’s Los Angeles office confirmed the arrest, which was made in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
“We are tremendously grateful to our brave ICE agents and law enforcement partners for capturing Pineda-Mogollon and the other three dangerous criminal illegal aliens who escaped from Delaney Hall,” said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “These slimeballs no longer pose a threat to public safety.”
McLaughlin noted that the escapees were violent offenders charged with crimes such as aggravated assault, burglary, theft, and making threats against law enforcement.
Escape from Delaney Hall
On the evening of June 12, four immigration detainees—labeled “public safety threats” by DHS—escaped from Delaney Hall, a privately-run ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey. The escape reportedly followed a disturbance sparked by delayed meals, during which detainees pushed down a dormitory wall, according to immigration attorney Mustafa Cetin.
Pineda-Mogollon was the last fugitive to be captured. The other three—Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez, and Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, all Honduran nationals—were apprehended earlier in July.
Criminal Backgrounds of the Escapees
- Andres Felipe Pineda-Mogollon (Colombia): Entered the U.S. in 2023 and overstayed his visa. Arrested in April by NYPD for larceny and again in May in Union, NJ, for residential burglary, conspiracy, and possession of burglary tools.
- Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes (Honduras): Illegally entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration. Arrested in May by Wayne Township police for aggravated assault, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.
- Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez (Honduras): Entered illegally as a minor in 2019. Arrested in October for unlawful possession of a handgun and again in February for aggravated assault.
- Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada (Honduras): Entered illegally in 2022. Arrested in May in Hammonton, NJ, on charges of burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary.
Federal Warning Against Attacks on Law Enforcement
The recapture of the final fugitive comes amid ongoing debates about immigration enforcement. DHS officials have expressed frustration with political and activist efforts to undermine ICE’s work, arguing that detention facilities like Delaney Hall are necessary to house dangerous criminals.
“These were not peaceful migrants,” McLaughlin said. “They were violent, repeat offenders who now belong exactly where they are—back in federal custody.”
All four men are now being held pending further legal proceedings.
