Immigrant Gives ICE The Slip, Flees JFK In Yellow Cab: Officials

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- A prisoner being transported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the John F. Kennedy Airport escaped officials' custody Tuesday night, authorities said.

The escapee, identified on Wednesday as Mohamadou Lamine Mbacke, 31, has been at large since he broke free from ICE agents and climbed into a taxi at around 9 p.m., ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls told Patch.

Mbacke, described as a "violent detainee," arrived at JFK from Detroit for his connecting flight to Senegal, where he was to be deported, authorities said.

Agents escorting Mbacke through the airport's security were told to remove his handcuffs for an X-Ray screening, the New York Daily News first reported. Once they were off, he bolted.

ICE officials first notified Port Authority officials of the escape at 9:15 p.m., according to the Daily News.

Video surveillance shows Mbacke leaving the airport in a taxi, Walls said.

Mbacke has a criminal history of multiple weapons and firearm convictions, authorities said. He came to the United States legally from Senegal in 2005 before violating the terms of his status and was ordered deported in September 2015.

ICE is working with state, federal and local authorities to locate Mbacke. Authorities described him as around 6-foot-3 and approximately 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black or purple shirt, jeans and sneakers.

Members of the public who spot him are advised not to approach him and immediately contact authorities.

A Port Authority spokesperson did not immediately return Patch's calls for comment.

Lead photo courtesy of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.