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Clifton Convict Escapes From NJ Prison -- 18 Days Before Parole Hearing

CLIFTON, N.J. -- A Clifton man eligible for parole in 18 days escaped from a South Jersey minimum security prison early Tuesday, according to state authorities.

Arthur Buckel

Arthur Buckel

Photo Credit: COURTESY: NJ Department of Corrections

Arthur Buckel, 38, was missing during a 6 a.m. head count at the Ancora unit of Bayside State Prison in Winslow Township, New Jersey Corrections Department spokesman Matt Schuman told NBC10 in Philadelphia.

Buckel was admitted to Bayside State Prison this past November in connection with a Union County burglary conviction and was later convicted on aggravated assault, drug possession, burglary and other charges after Wayne police said he aimed his SUV at an officer trying to stop him in February 2015.

His parole eligibility date, according to state records, was May 21.

Had he been denied parole, the maximum Buckel could have served was another 18 months. He could now have another three to five years added onto his sentence, Schuman told NBC10.

Buckel is 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, with a star tattoo on his left cheek. He was working as a janitor at the prison, the spokesman said.

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