Man illegally in U.S. allegedly escaped transport van en route to Wyatt Detention Center

BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — A man illegally in the United States allegedly escaped a transport van while being taken to the Wyatt Detention Center.

The District Attorney’s Office said 20-year-old Victor Rodrigues De Moura-Pereria of Brazil was in federal custody when he allegedly escaped onto a highway.

WCVB Boston reported that the scene occurred in heavy traffic on I-95 south on Feb. 26 in Waltham, Mass.

Officials said Rodrigues allegedly forced himself through a gap into the storage compartment of the van, where he pulled the emergency release tab, opened the rear door and jumped out onto the highway.

Rodrigues was found inside a fenced area behind a building in Waltham, approximately a quarter mile from where he exited the van, per officials.

Authorities said Rodrigues had previously been living in Framingham, Mass. when he was arrested on Feb. 25 based on outstanding warrant from his illegal entry into Arizona in 2021.

The warrant stemmed from Rodrigues’s alleged failure to report to removal proceedings in October 2021.

Rodrigues was charged with one count of escape from federal custody, which provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison, according to authorities.

Officials said Rodrigues will appear in federal court in Boston on March 25, 2024.