MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – A man who escaped police custody in August by making a makeshift rope and climbing down it at Mount Sinai Beth Israel was arrested Tuesday, according to the NYPD.
Police said 44-year-old Yenchun Chen, of Queens, was taken into custody around 8 a.m. in Manhattan. He’s been charged with escaping custody.
Chen was previously arrested on July 31 and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to authorities. He was taken to the hospital due to a medical issue on Aug. 4 and made his escape on Aug. 9, police said.
Chen tied together bed sheets and bath towels to climb down from the fifth floor to the second floor, according to authorities. He then used a ladder to get from the second floor to the first floor.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
