The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to reward Matthew Hay-Chapman with $100,000 for alerting police to the presence of two escaped convicts who fled to San Francisco in January. At the time, Hay-Chapman was living in and around Golden Gate Park's Botanical Garden; today, he's off the streets and plans to use the money to get back on his feet.

On Saturday, January 30th, Hay-Chapman flagged down a patrol car from Park Station and told officers that fugitive Hossein Nayeri had just gotten out of a white van parked near Whole Foods at Stanyan and Haight. A self-described news fanatic, Hay-Chapman recognized the vehicle and Nayeri from coverage of a January 22nd jailbreak from a maximum-security facility in Santa Ana.

Hossein Nayeri, back in custody. (Photo: news.com.au)

After tracking Nayeri into the McDonald's across the street, Hay-Chapman studied him in detail before using his cane to flag down a patrol car with two officers from Park Station. Before police could close in, a man with a medical emergency collapsed in front of them; as the officers called for an ambulance, Nayeri attempted to sneak away.

Police then spotted Nayeri as he sprinted across Stanyan before chasing him down Waller and into the parking lot of Park Station, where he was apprehended. Police found fugitive Jonathan Tieu inside the van, where he was arrested without incident.

According to the Chronicle, Hay-Chapman plans to use the reward to look after his two adult children; his daughter is severely disabled, and his son has grappled with substance abuse. Officials in Orange County are coordinating with the FBI and US Marshals Service to assemble the reward money.

This month, Park Station commander Capt. John Sanford, Jr., tapped Ofc. Lionel Lucas for Officer of the Month for being one of the officers who acted on Hay-Chapman's tip and made the arrest. Lucas, a 17-year veteran of the department, has also been assigned to Northern, Bayview and Tenderloin district stations.