Buckel could face an additional three to five years in prison once he’s recaptured, said spokesman Matt Schuman of the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
Advertisement
On Wednesday morning, a stolen pickup truck he was believed to have been driving was found at the CVS Pharmacy on West Bay Avenue in Barnegat Township, prompting a lockdown in schools there, and a shelter-in-place order in surrounding towns.
Hundreds of officers are swarming the area and plan to search door-to-door for the convicted killer who escaped from prison on Tuesday, township police said at a 4 p.m. news conference today.
It wasn’t clear how (and if) Buckel could have made the more than 40 miles journey from the Camden County prison to the Ocean City township.
Buckel had already served a lengthy prison sentence after he was convicted of aggravated manslaughter for killing his girlfriend’s baby as a teenager.
Barnegat Police posted surveillance photos of Buckel at a CVS Wednesday morning.
Barnegat Police Sgt. Jeffrey Ryan said patrols and K9 teams fanned out along the Garden State Parkway and other likely escape routes in the vicinity, their capabilities challenged by ongoing rain. He was scheduled to be paroled later this month.
Buckel is considered risky and residents are urged to lock their doors and cars as authorities continue to search for him.
All Barnegat Schools were put on lockdown, as a precaution. Residents and area schools in Ocean County were told to stay indoors Wednesday while police continued their search for an escaped prisoner.
“Buckle, 38, is described as 5’9”, 180 lbs., with brown hair, blue eyes, a goatee, and a small tattoo under his left eye. “My suggestion to you (Arthur Buckel) is to surrender to law enforcement immediately”.
Police Chief Arthur Drexler said, “We will be working around the clock until he is apprehended”.
Advertisement
Anyone who has information on Buckel should contact police.
