Police saw the inmate and called the jail, but were told by jailers that he was still inside.

ALFRED (AP) – An inmate believed to be the first to escape from the new York County Jail was back in custody Thursday after sheriff’s deputies and federal marshals found him at a home in Saco.

Michael Barbaria, 26, of Biddeford had about 24 hours of freedom, nine of them before jail officials realized he was missing. He offered no resistance when he was captured Wednesday night at the Coolidge Avenue residence.

Barbaria was being held on an armed robbery charge and a fugitive from justice warrant on aggravated assault charges in New York. He also faces the prospect of escape charges.

Officials said Barbaria apparently had help Tuesday night as he boosted himself to the top of a basketball hoop in the jail’s outdoor recreation area and crawled through the top of a 12-foot fence.

Biddeford police called the jail later that night to report that they thought they spotted Barberia, but were assured that he was still incarcerated. It was only until a bed check at 7 a.m. Wednesday that guards discovered he was missing and that items stuffed under his blankets made it appear that his bunk was occupied.

Inmates were moved in January to the new $20 million jail, which has state-of-the-art security features.

including 27 surveillance cameras.

Sheriff Philip Cote said that in addition to being hoisted to the top of the basketball hoop, Barbaria got help from inmates who blocked windows to prevent the officer supervising his medium-security pod from observing the escape.

Jail officials are observing surveillance tapes to reconstruct how Barbaria escaped, and which inmates may have helped him, Cote said.

He said jail staff were waiting for warmer weather to weld steel plates to the top of the fence to prevent a security breach.

AP-ES-04-01-04 1006EST