By
The Associated Press
A man who escaped from a Hawaii jail and was struck by a vehicle shortly afterward died from his injuries Thursday, authorities said.
Matthew J. Ornellas Jr. was seriously injured when he was hit by a car whose driver fled the Kauai Community Correctional Center shortly after 1 a.m. (local time) last Friday, the Department of Corrections reported. and Hawaii Rehabilitation.
Ornellas Jr. scaled a barbed wire fence, after which he was chased by prison officers, who lost sight of him when he entered an area of dense brush, according to authorities.
Matthew J. Ornellas.Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Shortly after, they heard a loud noise on the road and found him lying next to the Kuhio Highway, about 90 meters from the prison. An ambulance took him to a hospital, where
he remained in serious condition and in custody
. His condition deteriorated and he was pronounced dead on Thursday.
[The video of police officers beating a Latino suspect “with their knee in the face”]
Ornellas, 33, was a minimum-security inmate serving time for a drug crime, according to authorities.
The Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation said it was investigating the escape.
The Kauai Community Correctional Center in Hawaii.Google Maps
Orenellas was hit while running north in the southbound lane of the Kuhio Highway, Kauai police said. Authorities
are searching for the driver of the vehicle
, who left the scene before first responders arrived.
A public defender representing Ornellas for a probation violation previously declined to comment on the escape.