The man eluded agents from the U.S. Border Patrol.

LEWISTON – A federal prisoner who escaped from U.S. Border Patrol agents Friday afternoon was captured in less than an hour by Lewiston police.

Investigators said the Argentina native escaped from a Border Patrol van on Alfred Plourde Parkway near the Maine Turnpike. He was nabbed minutes after he checked into a Lisbon Street motel with a credit card.

“Somehow, he managed to break out a window in the van and escape,” said Lewiston police Lt. Paul Harmon. “There was a foot chase before we caught up with him at the motel.”

The suspect was being transported by agents from the Houlton office of the U.S. Border Patrol when he escaped. Officials there would not say who the suspect was nor where he was being driven Friday when he slipped out of custody at about 2:30 p.m..

Lewiston police said they were given little information about the prisoner. They were only asked to help catch him and turn him over to the federal agents.

Police began to search for the suspect in the woods along the highway minutes after they were notified about the escape.

At about the same time, a calm and nondescript man walked into the Super 8 Motel on Lisbon Street and asked for a room.

“He looked ordinary. He seemed very normal,” said Altaf Malek, who was working at the motel. “He just said he wanted a room. I checked him in and then police came a few minutes later.”

Malek said several police officers as well as the Border Patrol agents swarmed on the scene. Malek was shown a photograph of the suspect being sought. He identified the man as the one who had just checked in and turned a key over to police.

The suspect was taken into custody by Lewiston police Officer Trent Murphy and later turned over to Border Patrol.

Malek said the prisoner was not wearing handcuffs or a prison uniform when he checked into the motel room. Federal officials were not available to comment Friday on details of the suspect or the escape.

“It’s our duty to help police whenever we can,” Malek said. “They thanked me and said I did a great job.”

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