Fugitive Found At Norwalk Gas Station After Escape From NH Jail: Police

NORWALK, CT — A fugitive from the Sullivan County House of Corrections in New Hampshire was found Sunday at a gas station in Norwalk, according to police.

In a news release, Police Lt. Tomasz Podgorski said a gas station attendant reported a suspicious man at a station on West Avenue just before 10 a.m.

The attendant reported a heavy-duty pickup truck entered the lot and the driver exited the vehicle wearing only a T-shirt and underwear with blood on his hands, according to Podgorski.

The attendant also reported the man had left the station in the same vehicle and was able to provide its license plate information, which police used to determine the vehicle had been stolen from Claremont, N.H., according to Podgorski.

The man and the vehicle's information were immediately relayed to patrol officers who searched the area, including side streets, parking lots, garages and nearby gas stations, Podgorski said.

Officers later located a vehicle matching the description and license plate at a separate gas station on West Avenue, Podgorski said.

Officers entered the station's store and found a man, later identified as Jianming Zeng, 33, of Brooklyn, N.Y., wearing only a flannel jacket and underwear with several lacerations on his body, including his hands and feet, according to Podgorski.

Officers also searched the stolen vehicle and found a torn orange jumpsuit, Podgorski said.

Police confirmed Zeng's identity and fugitive status from the Sullivan County House of Corrections and arrested him. He was taken to Norwalk Hospital for treatment of his injuries, Podgorski said.

Police later determined Zeng escaped from the Sullivan County House of Corrections on Saturday after he threw clothes over a fence and climbed through barbed wire, according to Podgorski.

Zeng was charged with fugitive from justice and larceny of a motor vehicle. His bond was set at $500,000 and he is scheduled to appear in court later this month, according to Podgorski.

The Norwalk Hour reports a superintendent for the corrections facility in Unity, N.H., said Zeng was an ICE detainee and the jail went into lockdown following his escape.