Update: (5:22p.m.) According to police, suspect remains at large. Residents are reminded to keep their doors locked and vehicles secured. Any suspicious activity should be reported to police immediately.
A possible sighting of an escaped prisoner has promoted a lockdown of Barnegat schools as the search intensifies.
At approximately 10:17 a.m. a stolen vehicle, describe as a white 2015 Chevy Silverado from Hammonton, NJ, was located at the CVS drugstore on West Bay Avenue in Barnegat.
The suspect driving the vehicle is believed to be Arthur Buckle who is an escaped fugitive from Ancora unit of Bayside State Prison in Hammonton sometime before 6 a.m. Tuesday.
As a precautionary measure all Barnegat Schools were put on lockdown shortly thereafter.
Agencies from the Ocean County Sheriffs Department, New Jersey Department of Corrections Fugitive Task Force, Ocean County Special Operations Group, Ocean County SWAT Team, New Jersey State Police, Ocean Township Police Department, and Stafford Township Police Department are assisting with area searches, patrols, and K-9 Tracks along the Garden State Parkway and other areas of town.
Buckel is described as a white male, 5 feet 9 inches tall and about 180 pounds. He has light blue eyes, a mustache and beard. He also has a tattoo under his left eye.
Anyone who sees someone matching the description is asked to call police immediately.
Buckel, who was serving a sentence for aggravated assault, could now face an additional three to five years in prison for escaping once he's recaptured.