PRESS RELEASE

Prisoner escapes transport vehicle near Pike County

SCRANTON, PA — On Thursday, October 28, United States Marshal Martin J. Pane announced the arrest of Jason Charles Lajoie, a 45-year-old man with past addresses in Scranton and Archbald, Lackawanna County.

On May 13, 2021, Lajoie was arrested for violations of federal firearm laws and drug distribution. He was brought before the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and ordered detained to await trial.

On October 24, 2021, Lajoie was furloughed from custody for a 12-hour period to attend a funeral in Rhode Island. He was transported to and from the funeral by a family friend driving a privately owned vehicle. At about 9 p.m., as the vehicle was returning to Pennsylvania, Lajoie fled from it in Pike County, near the New York border. The family friend notified authorities and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) obtained an arrest warrant charging Lajoie with escape.

On October 27, 2021, at about 10:45 p.m., the USMS Fugitive Task Force arrested Lajoie without incident at a hotel in the 500 block of Broadway in Monticello, New York. He was returned to the Middle District of Pennsylvania to be arraigned for the escape.

United States Marshal Pane stated, “It’s the Marshals Services’ duty to ensure that those charged with serious crimes have their day in court. Defendants who seek to subvert the judicial process through escape receive our immediate attention and prompt action. I hope this quick arrest demonstrates that commitment to the public.”

The USMS Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania is comprised of 21 state, county, and local police agencies, including: the Pennsylvania State Police; the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole; the Wilkes-Barre Police Department; the Kingston Police Department; the Kingston Township Police Department; the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office; and the Scranton Police Department. The USMS received additional assistance from the Lackawanna County Drug Task Force and Archbald Police Department.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.