A man being transferred into federal immigration custody broke free from his restraints and jumped from a moving vehicle on Interstate 94 near Burns Harbor, triggering an hours-long manhunt through Northwest Indiana marshland before he was caught Tuesday night. Search teams found him hiding in cold water for more than five hours before taking him into custody without incident.
Indiana State Police said the man had been in the process of being transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when he slipped free of his restraints and leapt from the moving vehicle, according to CBS News Chicago. At the time troopers issued their initial alert, the man was described as a Hispanic male last seen wearing shackles, dark pants, and a black “Scarface” T-shirt, per ABC57. Custody transfers like this one occur when state or local agencies hand detainees with federal immigration warrants over to ICE officers at designated processing points, a procedure detailed by WTHR.
Hours in the Marsh Before Capture
Search teams eventually located the man Tuesday night in a marshy area alongside I-94, where he had reportedly been hiding in cold water for over five hours before being taken into custody without incident. The station's report notes multiple regional agencies assisted state police in combing the brush line along the highway during the search.
The stretch of I-94 near Exit 22, close to Burns Harbor and Porter, is a major transportation artery carrying heavy daily commuter and commercial freight traffic between the Chicago metropolitan area and northern Indiana, per the same account. That heavy traffic volume made the search and the temporary road disruption especially disruptive for travelers passing through Porter County. Local emergency response in the county typically relies on joint operations between municipal police, county sheriff's deputies, and state troopers for large-scale highway searches, as Hoodline has reported in earlier Porter County coverage.
What Charges Could Follow
Under Indiana Code § 35-44.1-3-4, intentionally fleeing lawful detention is classified as a Level 5 felony carrying a standard advisory sentence of three years in state prison, according to FindLaw. Because the escape happened while the man was in the physical custody of an ICE officer, he may also face separate federal exposure. Under 18 U.S.C. § 751(a), escaping from the custody of a federal officer during a felony arrest or process carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice notes.
It remains unclear how the man managed to free himself from his restraints inside a moving federal vehicle, and whether internal ICE transport protocols were followed during the handoff. Roadside transport escapes are not unheard of in Indiana; in October 2025, an arrestee in Marion County jumped from a moving transport vehicle while wearing leg shackles and handcuffs, according to WTHR, a pattern that has previously prompted agencies to review their transport procedures.
Part of a Wider Enforcement Surge
The incident lands amid a sharp rise in federal immigration enforcement activity nationwide. ICE recorded 49,571 arrests in July 2026, a 15% increase over June and the highest single-month total of President Trump's second term, according to Hoodline's analysis of federal data. Congressional funding increases expanded ICE agent staffing this year, feeding the jump in arrests and prisoner transfers across the region.
Highway-based immigration enforcement encounters have already drawn scrutiny elsewhere in the Chicago area. Just days before the Burns Harbor manhunt, ICE agents pinned a vehicle during a pursuit near Interstate 55 in Chicago, an incident Hoodline covered in its report on the McKinley Park crash and chase. Community members and local officials in that case questioned safety protocols during highway operations, a concern that echoes the open questions surrounding how Tuesday's escapee slipped free during his own transfer.
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