A manhunt for an escaped prisoner ended when the former Levittown resident was found dead in a Philadelphia building, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
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Gino Hagenkotter, 34, who escaped from custody while working in an orchard near a city prison, was discovered deceased in a building with signs of forced entry, according to Philadelphia police.
Investigators found a broken air vent, a displaced fan, and a ladder at the scene, police said.
Without any identification, the man’s body was initially listed as a “John Doe,” and it was transported to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. Through fingerprint analysis, the medical examiner’s identified the deceased as Hagenkotter, authorities said.
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Law enforcement agencies, including the Philadelphia police and the U.S. Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force, had been conducting an extensive search across the region. They had even offered a reward for information leading to Hagenkotter’s whereabouts.
Law enforcement sources confirmed to LevittownNow.com that Hagenkotter lived in Bristol Township’s Levittown section in recent years.
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Hagenkotter had a history of run-ins with the law in Lower Bucks County. His criminal record included retail theft and drug-related offenses in several towns, including Bensalem Township, Lower Southampton Township, Northampton Township, and Tullytown Borough.
The escape occurred on the day Hagenkotter was originally scheduled for release. However, an unresolved retail theft case in Bucks County led to an extended custody order until April 2024.
Reports indicate that Hagenkotter requested to use the bathroom while under supervision, subsequently scaling the prison fence and fleeing, a fact realized by guards approximately 15 minutes later.
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