Police are searching for an escaped inmate who fled a Philadelphia prison Thursday after telling a guard he was going to the bathroom while working in an orchard.
Gino Hagenkotter, 34, has a history of shoplifting, burglary and probation violations and is an inmate at the Riverside Correctional Facility.
He was working in an orchard outside the nearby Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Facility on State Road when he left without permission.
It is the same prison from which two inmates escaped earlier this year, sparking a 10-day manhunt.
According to a document obtained by Action News, Hagenkotter was with a prison guard when he escaped, no force was used and no injuries were reported.
Gino Hagenkotter, 34, has a history of shoplifting, burglary and probation violations
He was last seen on CCTV footage wearing a white shirt and blue trousers
He was carrying out supervised work in an orchard when he ‘excused himself to go to the toilet’ shortly after 12.10pm.
About ten minutes later, a security guard went to check the restroom and discovered he was gone and had “left the location.”
All prison facilities were then closed at 12:20 p.m.
Sources told CBS that he left a prison compound, walked through a forest and passed part of a sanitary facility. He then crossed the Ashburner Street I-95 overpass and onto Torresdale Avenue.
Hagenkotter’s last known addresses are the 7700 block of Cottage Street, the 3500 block of Shehelmire Avenue and the 11800 block of Brandon Road in Philadelphia.
His last arrest was for shoplifting and he was released on November 16 on Philadelphia charges, but he was in custody for a probation violation in Bucks County.
The police memo described him as a white male, 180 pounds, approximately 6 feet tall, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue pants.
A huge police presence was seen in the area immediately surrounding the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center on Thursday afternoon.
The Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center from which two other inmates escaped earlier this year by cutting a hole in a fence
A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Prisons told NBC: “Hagenkotter is serving a sentence for charges related to theft and burglary and meets the criteria to be placed on an outside work assignment.
‘Although this individual was in minimum custody, he should not be approached and anyone who sees him or is contacted by him should call police immediately.’
DailyMail.com contacted the Philadelphia Department of Prisons for comment.
A parent of a student at nearby New Foundations Charter School told NBC10 that the school was advised to remain on site for the remainder of the school day due to the escape.
The notification read: “About twenty minutes ago we received a report from law enforcement that an inmate had escaped from the jail. Our conversation with the local district indicates that this inmate is part of a work release program and is not considered an immediate danger to the community.
“That said, out of an abundance of caution, we have been advised to shelter in place for the remainder of the school day.
‘A shelter-in-place means that education and school continue as usual, but you cannot enter or leave the building. No early dismissal will be allowed.”
Nasir Grant, 24, escaped while awaiting trial on conspiracy, drugs and weapons charges. Ameen Grant, 18, who goes by the nickname Demon Time, is accused of killing four people between December 2020 and March 2021
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney expressed anger over the escape and said there will be a full investigation into what happened
It is the same prison from which Ameen Hurst, 18, and Nasir Grant, 24, escaped in May, sparking a 10-day manhunt.
The two inmates, including one Hurst accused of four murders, brazenly escaped from prison by cutting a hole in a fence, but authorities did not become aware of the outbreak until the following afternoon.
Grant is in jail on drug and gun charges, while Hurst, who goes by the nickname Demon Time, is accused of four murders, the first of which occurred in 2020. A law enforcement official called him a “very dangerous individual.”
They were found in a home in Philadelphia and taken into custody.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said at the time, “It’s clear the system made a mistake and people didn’t do what they were supposed to do.”
‘I’m really angry about it. There is no reason for this. And if everyone did their job and did what they were supposed to do, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
Danelo Cavalcante tried to run away, but a K-9 chased him through the woods, bit him and ended the manhunt on September 13. He was treated at the scene for injuries.
Another infamous inmate escaped from another Philadelphia prison, Chester County Prison, earlier this year.
Convicted murderer Daniel Calvacante was on the run for two weeks after escaping in August.
The 34-year-old was serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend and was awaiting transfer to the Chester County Jail in Pennsylvania when he escaped on August 31 by climbing a wall.
Cavalcante was seen on a surveillance camera in the prison’s outdoor area looking at the camera before the crab walked between two walls, climbed a fence and jumped over barbed wire during the daring escape that took place in broad daylight.
That led to a massive manhunt for the suspect, during which he was spotted several times in the woods of Pennsylvania.