Newark, NJ – A fugitive sought in connection with several violent crimes in Newark has been arrested in North Carolina following what authorities described as a yearlong, multi-agency investigation. Isaiah Ketchens was taken into custody on July 21 after investigators tracked him to a residence in Durham, where he had allegedly been hiding.
According to the New Jersey State Police, members of the agency’s Fugitive Unit worked alongside the Newark Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate Ketchens, who had been placed on the State Police Fugitive Unit’s Most Wanted List.
Suspect surrendered after hours-long standoff
Investigators determined Ketchens was hiding inside a residence in Durham, North Carolina. The New Jersey State Police said members of the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force responded to the home to execute the arrest.
Authorities said Ketchens barricaded himself inside the attic of the residence, leading to an extended standoff. “Following approximately three hours of negotiations, he surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody without incident,” the New Jersey State Police said in its announcement.
Ketchens is currently being held in Durham County while awaiting extradition back to New Jersey.
Faces multiple violent charges in Newark
According to authorities, Ketchens is wanted by the Newark Police Department on charges including aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, disarming a law enforcement officer, eluding police, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
The New Jersey State Police said Ketchens “had also been placed on the New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit’s Most Wanted List,” reflecting investigators’ continued efforts to locate him after he allegedly fled the state.
The arrest resulted from a coordinated investigation involving the Newark Police Department, the New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit, the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (Newark Division), and the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Fugitive task forces operated by the U.S. Marshals Service routinely combine federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to locate and apprehend individuals wanted on violent felony charges. Once extradited to New Jersey, Ketchens is expected to face the pending charges filed by the Newark Police Department.
