A federal fugitive fled custody on I-84 and was later caught hiding in the Hudson Valley.
For all the news that the Hudson Valley is sharing make sure to follow Hudson Valley Post on Facebook, download the Hudson Valley Post Mobile App and sign up for the Hudson Valley Post Newsletter.
On Thursday, members of the Monticello Police in conjunction with the United States Marshall Service Fugitive Task Force announced the arrest of Jason “Critter” Lajoie.

Police describe the 45-year-old as being an “escaped federal fugitive.”

Lajoie was being held in federal custody on weapons and drug offenses. He was granted a furlough in order to attend a funeral in the State of Rhode Island.

On Sunday, Lajoie escaped from a transport vehicle on I-84 in Pike County, Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday the U.S.M.S. Fugitive Task Force developed information that Lajoie was located in a room at the Inn At Monticello at 392 Broadway in the Village of Monticello.

Following surveillance of the location, officers made entry to room #301 at 10:45 PM Wednesday evening and arrested Lajoie without incident.
Lajoie was taken into custody by U.S.M.S and transported to Federal Court in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Additionally assisting was the Sullivan County Sheriff Office.
Featured Advertising
Counties in New York With Most Vehicle vs. Animal Crashes

Getty Images
#10 Onondaga
970 animal crashes in 2020

Getty Images
#9 Dutchess
1,015 animal crashes in 2020

Kwangmoozaa
#8 Jefferson
1,142 animal crashes in 2020

jamesvancouver
#7 Ulster
1,143 animal crashes in 2020

Getty Images
#6 St. Lawrence
1,196 animal crashes in 2020

steverts
#5 Ontario
1,206 animal crashes in 2020

Pascal-L-Marius
#4 Oneida
1,279 animal crashes in 2020

PhanuwatNandee
#3 Monroe
1,310 animal crashes in 2020

UrmasPhotoCom
#2 Suffolk
1,311 animal crashes in 2020

David De Lossy
#1 Orange
1,427 animal crashes in 2020
Read More: ‘Federal Fugitive’ Flees on I-84, Caught Hiding in Hudson Valley | https://hudsonvalleypost.com/federal-fugitive-flees-on-i-84-caught-hiding-in-hudson-valley/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Fugitive in Italy arrested after hiding in nativity scene as fake statue

Copyright AP Photo
By Euronews
Published on 11/12/2025 – 14:33 GMT+1 •Updated 13/12/2025 – 17:40 GMT+1
ShareComments
A 38-year-old was arrested in southern Italy on Saturday after the town’s mayor spotted him posing as a statue in a Christmas nativity scene. The man was wanted for assaulting a police officer and had escaped a prison sentence in Bologna.
A fugitive was arrested in southern Italy on Saturday after attempting to evade police by posing as a statue in a town’s Christmas nativity scene.
The 38-year-old man from Ghana was discovered in Galatone, in the Puglia region, by the town’s Mayor Flavio Filoni who was passing by the display in Piazza Santissimo Crocifisso.
“While I was standing before the nativity scene, lovingly crafted by our Pro Loco, I noticed something I’d initially mistaken for part of the scene,” Filoni wrote on Facebook. “A detail that seemed innocuous, but it turned out to be crucial.”
The mayor initially considered contacting organisers to congratulate them on the lifelike figure, but upon closer inspection realised it was a real person.
Filoni called another town official to persuade the man to leave the nativity scene. The man reportedly resisted and claimed the nativity scene was his home, according to local media outlet LeccePrima.

Local police, state police and Carabinieri quickly arrived and identified the man as a wanted fugitive.
The man had escaped a nine-month and 15-day prison sentence in Bologna for resisting a public official and aggravated assault, according to reports.
“Thanks to the prompt intervention of our local police, state police, and Carabinieri, it was possible to track down and identify a fugitive and wanted person,” Filoni said.
The mayor thanked police for their work, adding that the incident confirmed “how essential it is to place full trust in the daily work of those who guarantee safety and legality”.
Galatone, a town of around 15,400 people located 26 kilometres from Lecce, is in southern Puglia’s Salento region.

