SAITAMA (TR) – Police this week arrested an 18-year-old unemployed man here after he dramatically evaded capture in Osaka City this summer by jumping into a river and swimming away from investigators.
The teen was wanted by police over an incident in April, when he allegedly visited the home of a 38-year-old woman in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, to collect a debt owed by her eldest son.
According to police, the suspect threatened the woman, telling her, “If you don’t return the 60,000 yen by tomorrow, I’ll burn your house down.”
The suspect gained notoriety in July following a daring escape right outside the Osaka Detention House.
As Aichi Prefectural Police investigators approached him for questioning after he finished a visitation, the teen bolted. He plunged into a nearby river, swam to the opposite bank, and made his getaway in a vehicle.
Following a months-long manhunt, authorities tracked the fugitive to Saitama Prefecture, where he was finally taken into custody at a lodging facility in Kuki City on October 15.