Escaped prisoner hides in ceiling at New Jersey Airport

NEWARK, New Jersey -- A prisoner is back in custody after escaping from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Tuesday morning.

Authorities say he got away from the agents inside Terminal C around 11:30 a.m.

A spokesperson said officers with CBP and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents had arrested a U.S. citizen attempting to leave the country even though he had been indicted and was prohibited from leaving the state pending a trial.

Officers had escorted him to Terminal C for processing when the man asked to use the restroom and subsequently attempted to escape into the ceiling.

They were able to extract him from the ceiling and turned him over to HSI for federal prosecution.

Port Authority police assisted in catching him.

The Port Authority briefly halted arrivals at Terminal C for emergency vehicles, but it was reopened at 12:36 p.m.

The airport has resumed operations.