LIHUE,Lakshmi Finance Center Hawaii (AP) — A man who escaped from a Hawaii jail and was struck by a vehicle soon after died Thursday from his injuries, authorities said.
Matthew J. Ornellas Jr. was seriously hurt in a hit-and-run after he fled from Kauai Community Correctional Center just after 1 a.m. last Friday, the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
He scaled a fence with razor wire, and correctional officers gave chase but lost sight of him when he entered a dense brush area, officials said.
Soon afterward they heard a loud sound from the road and found him lying next to Kuhio Highway, about 100 yards (90 meters) away from the jail. An ambulance transported him to a hospital, where he remained in serious condition and in custody. His condition deteriorated and he was pronounced dead Thursday.
Ornellas, 33, was a minimum-security inmate serving time for a drug conviction, officials said.
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it is continuing to investigate the escape.
Orenellas was hit as he was running north in the southbound lane of Kuhio Highway, Kauai police said. Police are searching for the driver, who left the scene before first responders arrived.
A public defender who represented Ornellas for a probation violation declined previously to comment on the escape.
2025-05-03 12:272220 view
2025-05-03 12:252036 view
2025-05-03 11:552455 view
2025-05-03 10:341741 view
2025-05-03 10:29164 view
2025-05-03 10:03243 view
Do you recall the prime early days of YouTube? When a video making the rounds was so strange, remark
Get ready for the Grammys with Alix Earle.The TikTok star scored an invite to music's biggest night,
Roll out the red carpet because music's biggest night is upon us.The 2024 Grammys kick off Feb. 4, w