A prisoner arrested on gun possession charges made a daring escape from an Upper Manhattan medical center Tuesday morning—becoming the second inmate to flee custody in the city in just two weeks, police said.
Eric Cruz, 29, bolted from New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center on West 168th Street near Broadway around 8:45 a.m., authorities reported. He had been receiving medical treatment at the Washington Heights facility after his arrest late Monday, just blocks away, for possession of a weapon.
Cruz, who also faces a charge for unlicensed vending, was last seen wearing only a hospital gown. Police believe he may have fled into the nearby subway station at 168th Street, which serves the A, C, and 1 trains. As of now, he remains on the run.
Cruz’s escape comes just days after another prisoner, 50-year-old Gilberto Sanchez, managed to slip away from Brooklyn Hospital Center last Thursday. Sanchez, who was arrested for petit larceny and other offenses, escaped around 2 p.m. but was tracked down later that night near Bergen and Dean Streets in Boerum Hill.
With two escapes in such a short span, law enforcement officials are under pressure to tighten security around hospital transports and prisoner supervision. Authorities continue to search for Cruz as they investigate how he was able to flee.