NewsNation

Second escaped inmate captured in Philadelphia

Ameen Hurst was captured after escaping from a Philadelphia prison. (U.S. Marshall Service)

(NewsNation) — Philadelphia law enforcement announced the capture of the second inmate who escaped from a prison in the city last week.

Ameen Hurst, 18, was taken into custody without incident, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw confirmed on Twitter.


Hurst and a fellow inmate, 26-year-old Nasir Grant, escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correction Center by cutting a hole in fencing around the facility’s recreation yard. The pair were gone for almost 19 hours before anyone noticed they were missing.

A representative for the union representing correctional officers blamed the escape on low staffing, saying the nighttime shift had no perimeter guards for months due to low staffing and that guards were routinely assigned to watch more than one unit at a time.

Officials with the Philadelphia Department of Corrections denied the claim, saying posts were not closed due to lack of staff, but that they were investigating why protocols that would have alerted officers to the absence of the prisoners were not followed.

Grant was taken into custody last week after officials located him in North Philadelphia, where he was dressed as a woman.

The two inmates were housed in the same unit, with Hurst facing charges for murder and Grant being held on drug and weapons conspiracy charges. A woman in the city has been charged with aiding the two men in their escape.