MILLTOWN — A township man was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Feb. 22 for attempting to flee from a Trenton hospital last year while in custody awaiting a hearing.
On March 12, 2008, Joseph Vitale, 59, was convicted of bank fraud, was sentenced to prison, and was released in April 2009 to begin serving five years of supervised release, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
In January 2012, he was charged with violating several conditions of his supervised release, and was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal’s Service on Feb. 7. After making an appearance in court, he complained of chest pains and was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton under the custody of a private security service for federal prisoners, and remained under 24-hour armed guard, the release said.
On Feb. 13, as one of the security guards was adjusting Vitale’s leg restraints, Vitale ran out of his room, evaded two security guards and ran down the hallway in an attempt to escape, the release said.
A struggle ensued, but the guards were able to subdue Vitale and restrain him, according to Fishman.
Vitale pleaded guilty on Nov. 8.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Freda L. Wolfson, of the United States District Court in Trenton, sentenced Vitale to three years of supervised release.