THE BRONX — A pair of Bronx police officers were suspended after their superiors found video of a handcuffed suspect escaping from the back of their vehicle, police officials and sources said.
Officers Victor Yupa and Josue Vassallo arrested three men near East 178th Street and Grand Concourse on Tuesday for disorderly conduct, including Alejandro Castillo, 21, according to the NYPD and sources.
Castillo was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of the squad car, but when the officers turned their attention to the other two suspects, another person opened the back door to their vehicle and Castillo managed to run off. The incident was first reported by the New York Daily News.
The officers failed to report the escape, but someone posted a video of Castillo making his getaway to Facebook, which police officials found on Thursday.
Yupa and Vassallo, who have both been on the force for about three years, were suspended while the NYPD conducts an internal review, according to police and sources.
Castillo was rearrested on Thursday at his Bronx home.
He was charged with escaping police custody and was scheduled to be arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court on Friday, according to court records.
