Hawaii inmate dies after escape and being hit by car in hit-and-run

An inmate in Hawaii who broke out of jail jumped onto an interstate during his escape and was hit by a car while fleeing police last week has died authorities said Matthew J Ornellas Jr 33 escaped from Kauai Community Correctional Center last Friday but just moments after escaping the facility became the victim of a serious hitandrun On Thursday the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said he died of injuries he suffered Officials at the facility said Ornellas scaled a fence with razor wire and correctional officers gave chase but lost sight of him The correctional officers then heard a loud sound and ultimately found Ornellas on the interstate about 100 yards from the jail He was seriously injured and was subsequently hospitalized

Details of the Escape

Matthew J Ornellas Jr escaped from Kauai Community Correctional Center just after 1 am Friday the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Ornellas was running north on the southbound lane of Kuhio Highway when he was hit Kauai police said He was serving time for a drug conviction according to the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Investigation Ongoing

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it is continuing to investigate the escape Ornellas was a minimumsecurity inmate at the Kauai Community Correctional Center The facility houses approximately 130 beds