Police: Man Captured After Attempting To Break Out Of Riverhead Jail

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (WCBS 880) -- An inmate tried to escape from jail on Long Island but didn't get very far, Sophia Hall reports.

Authorities said the escape was not planned, but rather Jose Garcia just decided to start climbing the fence surrounding the exercise yard at the Riverhead Long Island Correctional Facility on Tuesday.

"There really wasn't a lot of forethought that went into this. This occurred in an exercise yard. The inmate basically bolted for the fence, not realizing the multiple levels of security that we maintain," said Chief Michael Sharkey of the Sheriff's Department.

LISTEN: Sophia Hall reports.

"He was able to get over the first fence which is topped with razor wire, but dropped down in between the next layer of fencing and there was really no place to go," he said.

With his arms bleeding, Garcia began to run in-between the two fences along the perimeter.

"He was trapped in a narrow area. Our officers responded quickly," Sharkey said.

"There's significant amount of razor wire over the next layer of fencing that was just insurmountable for him," he explained.

Garcia was apprehended seven minutes after the escape attempt.

He was in jail, awaiting trial on burglary charges. Now he faces the additional charge of attempted escape, a felony.

Garcia required medical treatment following the attempted escape.

"After he was taken back into the facility, he was transported for treatment at the hospital for cuts on his arms from getting over the first layer of fence," Sharkey recounted.

It was the first time an inmate tried to escape the facility in over 20 years.