Four individuals detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility have been charged with escaping from custody, as announced by U.S. Attorney Alina Habba. The detainees, Franklin Norberto Bautista Reyes, 20, of Honduras; Joan Sebastian Castaneda Lozada, 18, of Colombia; Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon, 25, of Colombia; and Joel Enrrique Sandoval-Lopez, 22, of Honduras, face charges related to their escape from Delaney Hall in Newark.
According to court documents, the defendants were held at Delaney Hall pending immigration removal proceedings. On or about June 12, 2025, they allegedly escaped by breaking through a second-story aluminum wall. They reportedly used mattresses for landing and bed sheets to navigate barbed wire fences.
Three of the four detainees—Castaneda Lozada, Sandoval-Lopez, and Bautista Reyes—have been apprehended. They appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor on separate days. However, Pineda Mogollon remains at large.
Each defendant could face up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine if convicted.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited the investigation efforts to special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; officers from ICE under Acting Director Todd M. Lyons; and Homeland Security Investigations led by Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Hardin is representing the government in this case through the Public Protection Task Force in Newark.
The allegations are accusations only at this stage; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Defense counsel includes Linda Foster for Castaneda Lozada; Patrick Joyce for Sandoval-Lopez; and Stacy Biancamano for Bautista Reyes.
