Hawaii jail inmate hit by car while fleeing from correctional officers during escape, dies – Law Officer

LIHUE, Hawaii – An inmate escaped from the Kauai Community Correctional Center in Lihue, Hawaii last week. The man jumped onto an interstate during his attempted getaway and was hit by a car while fleeing from correctional officers. After being gravely injured and hospitalized for nearly a week, the man has died, authorities said.

Matthew J. Ornellas Jr., 33, was a minimum-security inmate at the correctional center, officials confirmed. He escaped from the facility last Friday and was struck by a vehicle, which then fled the scene. The Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Thursday that Ornellas died from his injuries, Fox News reported.

Kauai Community Correctional Center officials said Ornellas scaled and hopped a razor wire fence. Correctional officers gave chase but lost sight of the escapee.

Suddenly, pursuing COs heard a loud sound and ultimately located Ornellas on the Kuhio Highway about 100 yards from the jail facility, reported Hawaii News Now.

He had been running north in the southbound lane of the roadway when he was hit by a car, which then fled the scene, Kauai police said.

Ornellas sustained critical injuries and was transported to the hospital, where he remained until his death.

He was serving time for a narcotics conviction, according to the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The escape is under investigation by the agency.

Law enforcement authorities continue searching for the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash, which is now a fatal hit-and-run.

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