Sex Offender Escape Amid Newark Tragedies

A manhunt is underway in New Jersey after Nicholas Voutsas, a 25-year-old Tier 2 registered sex offender, escaped from a medical transport van en route to University Hospital in Newark. Voutsas, who was incarcerated at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, fled around 9 a.m. on Thursday and was last seen near South Orange Avenue and Bergen Street, wearing a burgundy or maroon winter coat. He is described as 6 feet tall, weighing approximately 260 pounds, and poses a moderate risk of re-offense. The New Jersey State Police and Human Services Police Department have charged him with escape, and they urge the public to provide any information about his whereabouts to the Fugitive Unit Tipline. Concurrently, tragic incidents occurred in Newark, including the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old boy and a fire in Belmar that displaced several people. Authorities are actively investigating these incidents, with Newark's Mayor Ras Baraka pledging to find the boy's killer.