The NYPD is searching for an escaped prisoner after he ran away from police in East Harlem Friday evening.
Police said 57-year-old Arthur Collins was in custody of police in the 25th Precinct when he escaped barefoot at about 6:30 p.m. He was in a holding cell for processing, and officers discovered he was gone when they went to check on him, according to police. He was not handcuffed at the time.
Collins was arrested in the afternoon when officers responded to a 911 call for a man lurking inside an apartment on the 1900 block of Madison Avenue, police said. He tried to flee the cops but was caught before he could leave the building, and was found with crack, powdered cocaine, heroin, marijuana and a firearm silencer in his possession.
He was arrested on burglary and drug charges, police said.
The police search for Collins Friday night included an NYPD helicopter in the neighborhood and K-9 units at the 116th Street subway station three blocks for the precinct.
A man who lives next to the police station told NBC 4 New York he has seen the suspect several times on the block and in the area, and often appeared to be talking to or arguing with himself. The neighbor, who didn't want to give his name, said he's also seen Collins taken away by an ambulance in the past. He's worried that Collins could be dangerous.
"We need to find out where he is, because if we don't find him, there's a possibilty this won't be a happy night," he said.
Local
Last month, an attempted murder suspect escaped custody while in handcuffs in Harlem, sparking a month-long manhunt by a special task force dedicated to finding him. Tareek Arnold, 23, was captured Monday night in the same neighborhood where he escaped.
