Inmate captured after escaping from Bronx barge jail, officials say

By Artemis Moshtaghian and Sahar Akbarzai, CNN

An inmate who went missing from a jail barge in the Bronx early Saturday has been captured, police said.

David Mordukhaev, 30, was reported missing from his assigned housing area when officers checked, Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Peter Thorne told CNN in a statement.

Police say that Mordukhaev escaped from the Vernon C. Bain Center, nicknamed “The Boat,” at 4:15 a.m.

“The individual who escaped this morning has been reapprehended,” said city Department of Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi.

Mordukhaev was arrested last August on charges of impersonating a police officer and robbery, according to NYPD spokeswoman Sgt. Jessica McRorie.

In April 2020, Mordukhaev was allegedly driving a black SUV, wearing a police shield around his neck and carrying what appeared to be a police radio, McRorie said. The suspect allegedly flashed a flashlight in the victim’s face and took $340 and marijuana, according to an arrest report.

The 800-bed correctional facility was placed on lockdown as authorities investigated Saturday’s incident, Thorne said.

“No escape from our facilities is ever acceptable and we are taking every step to locate and return this individual to custody,” Thorne said. “A thorough investigation into how this occurred is underway to ensure that this does not happen again, and disciplinary action, if warranted, will be taken at the conclusion of the investigation.”

Opened in late 1992, VCBC is a five-story jail barge that houses medium to maximum security inmates for the New York City Department of Corrections, according to information provided by the department.

“This incident remains under investigation and we will be thoroughly addressing any and all deficiencies that led to this event,” Schiraldi said.

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