Massachusetts

Here's how a massive pothole helped an inmate escape police custody

Victor De Moura-Pereira, of Framingham, was ultimately recaptured in Waltham about 45 minutes after getting away from sheriff's deputies

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An inmate used a traffic jam on Interstate 95 as an opportunity to escape custody on Monday, according to authorities.

That inmate led police on a 45-minute manhunt. But that inmate is now behind bars.

Police were ultimately able to find the escaped inmate near the MSPCA in Waltham after an employee tipped them off. Officers arrived to find the man hiding behind a dumpster in a nearby parking lot.

The inmate has been identified as 20-year-old Victor De Moura-Pereira, of Framingham. Police said he was initially in custody following an incident in Framingham on Sunday. It's uncertain what for, but police had a warrant for his arrest. When they approached him Sunday, police said he violently fought back before eventually being arrested.

An inmate escaped sheriff's custody on Monday night after their vehicle got stuck in a traffic jam on Interstate 95 due to a massive pothole. Follow NBC10 Boston on... Instagram: instagram.com/nbc10boston TikTok: tiktok.com/@nbc10boston Facebook: facebook.com/NBC10Boston X: twitter.com/NBC10Boston

Then around 6 p.m. Monday, the inmate was being transported by a Plymouth County Sheriff's Department vehicle on I-95 south when he escaped. He eventually wound up at the MSPCA in Waltham, where he ran into an employee of the animal rescue working on his car in the parking lot.

"I noticed immediately that he was wearing handcuffs and I looked a little more carefully and saw heavy duty shackles and a chain around his waist," the employee told NBC10 Boston. "I assumed he was dangerous. I just walked in the opposite direction and called 911."

The inmate was taken into custody minutes later. He has now been transferred into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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