Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Arrests Not Final, As 2nd Suspect Bolts Out Window
By
Dave Hogarty
Published Aug 26, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Dave Hogarty
Published Aug 26, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The NYPD may want to consider relocating its interrogation rooms to higher floors in its precinct houses, after the second man in 24 hours escaped from police custody by jumping out of an open window in his interrogation room Friday. Seventeen-year-old Ezekiel Edwards was the second suspect in a day to elude cops post-arrest, by waiting to be left alone in an interrogation room and then fleeing out a window of the 77th Precinct in Crown Heights, Brooklyn to an adjacent roof.
Edwards was arrested on suspicion of burglary and believed to be still handcuffed at the time of his escape. The NY Times writes that Edwards "either picked the lock of his handcuffs or squeezed his hand out" while detectives were typing up his arrest papers. The Post, however, lays the blame on the cops for mistakenly believing that Edwards was younger than his 17 years, because younger suspects are not confined as strictly: "They cuffed one of the teen's hands to a metal pole in a first-floor juvenile detention room, which is reserved for offenders aged 16 and under. Because of his age, he should have been locked into a cell, police sources said."
Less than a day before, Maxie Dacosta Jr. jumped out of a third story window at the 103rd precinct house in Queens to the roof of an adjacent building. Dacosta Jr. was being questioned in a murder investigation when detectives left the uncuffed man alone so they could confer outside of the interrogation room. The detective in that case has been suspended. Dacosta Jr. leaped from the third story window to the roof of the building next door, across an eight-foot-wide alley.
A police spokesman told the Times that it was an "unfortunate coincidence" that a second prisoner escaped.
(Image of the 77th Precinct from Maps.live.com)
Tagged
brooklyn
crime
Crown Heights
heights
Jr.
maps
murder
ny times
nypd
police
queens
The NYPD
the post
Dave Hogarty
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Astoria-born Chip City announces sudden closure days after former CEO sues
The company blamed ‘macro-economic headwinds.’ The co-founder is suing over compensation.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 3, 2026 at 11:29 a.m. ET
US judge tosses Trump lawsuit targeting pro-Palestinian protesters in NJ
The Justice Department sued demonstrators who protested at a synagogue, under a law aimed at shielding abortion clinics.
By
Willow Higgins
News
US judge tosses Trump lawsuit targeting pro-Palestinian protesters in NJ
The Justice Department sued demonstrators who protested at a synagogue, under a law aimed at shielding abortion clinics.
By
Willow Higgins
A big, bright Saturn will be the highlight of NYC's fall stargazing season
By
Rosemary Misdary
NYC tow companies busted for ripping off drivers must give $67K in refunds, city says
By
Liam Quigley
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .