Newark ICE detainee captured after 4 go missing from Delaney Hall – NBC New York

Federal officials have apprehended one of the four escaped detainees who went missing from an immigration detention center in New Jersey earlier this week.

Multiple senior law enforcement officials said Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez was tracked down to Passaic on Saturday and captured by the FBI and ICE.

Sandoval-Lopez was among four detainees being held at the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, where ICE has been holding individuals who are facing possible deportation. On Friday, one day after they were “unaccounted for,” the Department of Homeland Security offered a $10,000 reward for information.

The quartet apparently kicked through a wall at the facility, which Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said the operator did not have a permit to build. New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim called the construction “essentially just dry wall with some mesh inside and that led to an exterior wall. It shows just how shoddy how construction was here.”

The men ended up in a parking lot and hopped a fence. Kim says officials in charge of Delaney Hall are examining other walls that might be vulnerable.

“They were alluding to the idea that they are going to move all detainees out of this facility,” said Kim.

Local and state authorities have been notified of the escaped detainees.

“Additional law enforcement partners have been brought in to find these escapees and a BOLO [be on the lookout] has been disseminated,” DHS said in a statement. “We encourage the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if they have information that may lead to the locating of these individuals.” 

The Department of Homeland Security maintained that there has been no widespread unrest and that the facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services.

Who escaped from Delaney Hall?

The Department of Homeland Security identified the four detainees who escaped Delaney Hall as “public safety threats.

Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes allegedly illegally entered the U.S. in 2021. On May 3, 2025, the Wayne Township, New Jersey Police Department arrested Bautista for aggravated assault, attempt to
cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.

Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes (Crédito: DHS)

Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez allegedly illegally entered the U.S. as a minor in 2019. On October 3, 2024, the New Jersey Passaic Police Department arrested Sandoval for unlawful possession of a handgun. He was arrested again on February 15, 2025, by the Passaic Police Department for aggravated assault.

Joel Enrique Sandoval-López (Credit: DHS)

Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, from Colombia, allegedly illegally entered the U.S. in 2022. On May 15, 2025, the New Jersey Hammonton Police Department arrested Castaneda for burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary.

Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada (Credit: DHS)

Andres Pineda-Mogollon, of Colombia, overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023, DHS says. On April 25, 2025, the New York City Police Department arrested Pineda for petit larceny. On May 21, 2025, the Union, New Jersey Police Department arrested Pineda for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.

Andrés Pineda-Mogollon (Credit: DHS)

What is Delaney Hall?

Delaney Hall made headlines in May after protests broke out at the 1,000-bed, privately owned facility.

Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was charged in a criminal complaint with two assault counts stemming from a May 9 visit to the center. She was indicted on Tuesday; the indictment includes three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials.

At the same visit that resulted in McIver’s charges, Mayor Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge, which was later dropped. Baraka later filed a lawsuit against acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba over what he said was a malicious prosecution.

On Friday, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker joined the chorus of local officials denouncing the conditions inside Delaney Hall, calling it “a house of horrors.” Sen. Kim confirmed the reports that detainees are getting too few meals and dealing with overcrowded conditions.

A woman who said her husband is believed to be detained at the facility has lost more than 20 pounds in the last month.

“He said it hurts to lay in the beds they gave him because he’s so skinny now, they’re not feeding them,” said Rosalinda Ortega, whose husband Miguel was detained. “Yesterday I called, they said stop calling and be patient. How can I be patient when they have him and are mistreating him?”