Man Who Escaped From New Jersey Prison in 1979 Nabbed

PHILADELPHIA – A man who escaped from a New Jersey prison 28 years ago was captured by authorities at his Philadelphia home Wednesday.

Maximo Jurado was at his home in Philadelphia when officers from several law enforcement agencies arrived around 10 a.m. The 75-year-old said his name was "Juan," but when he was shown a prison photo of himself from 1979, he confessed: "It's me."

Jurado left the state's since-closed Marlboro Camp, where he was serving time for a drug offense.

Jurado was not an especially notorious criminal -- though he had several run-ins with the law in the 1960s and 1970s -- and his escape didn't get much attention at the time. He managed to stay on the lam longer than all but a few people who have escaped from New Jersey prisons.

Journalists from The Associated Press rode along with authorities when they arrested Jurado on Wednesday. He said that he managed to avoid being caught for all these years because he avoided breaking the law while, and moved around frequently.

Authorities say they tracked him through several states and aliases before catching up with him.

Jurado is being held in Philadelphia until he can be extradited to New Jersey to serve more time. He served less than four months of a 4- to 10-year prison sentence before he escaped. He will have to complete the original sentence and could get up to five more years in prison if he is convicted of escape.