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New York inmate who escaped from Bellevue last month arrested on MTA bus 2 miles from hospital

Posted on by angelo
New York inmate who escaped from Bellevue last month arrested on MTA bus 2 miles from hospital

An inmate who broke free from handcuffs and escaped from Bellevue Hospital last month was arrested while riding a bus just two miles from his daring escape, police and sources said.

James Mossetty, 35, who has been on the run since June 26, was arrested around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday while riding an MTA bus at West 50th Street and Eighth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, according to authorities and law enforcement sources.

Mossetty, of Flushing, Queens — originally taken into custody Jan. 6 on charges of assault, theft of services and criminal possession of a controlled substance — now faces additional responsibility for escaping from custody, cops said.

Escapee James Mossetty, 35, was arrested Tuesday afternoon while traveling on an MTA bus, police and sources said. NYPD Crime Stoppers Program

Mossetty was being prepared to be transported in a vehicle from Kips Bay Hospital to the Otis Bantum Correctional Facility in the Rikers Island complex when he broke free of his handcuffs and fled, according to police sources and the city Department of Corrections.

He headed toward nearby FDR Drive and was not seen again until his capture 20 days later, police said.

At the time of his escape, Mossetty was in DOC custody and spent some time in treatment at Bellevue due to a medical condition, according to Annais Morales, a department spokesperson.

Mossetty allegedly escaped on June 26 as authorities prepared to transport him from Bellevue Hospital to Rikers Island. NYPD Crime Stoppers Program
Mossetty, who was initially in custody on a series of charges including assault, now faces a further sentence for his escape, police said. New York Department of Corrections

The DOC, NYPD and US Marshals worked together to find him.

Mossetty was in custody for punching a man in the face in Midtown on July 30, 2021 — and for two kidnappings on Aug. 9, 2023: one for refusing to pay a $36 cab fare in Lower Manhattan, and the other for hiding a bag of methamphetamine in his sock, according to criminal complaints.