Prison escaper elusive to catch

Prison escaper Aaron Stephen Forden is still in hiding, more than a day after escaping from the Mt Eden Corrections Facility.

Auckland Police say there has been no sign of the 30-year-old since his escape around 2.20am yesterday.

“Forden has known links to the Whangarei and upper North Island areas,” Detective Sergeant Iain Chapman, Auckland CIB, said today. “We’ve checked out several addresses so far without success.

“We’ve had no firm sightings of him and from past experience he’s very adept at changing his appearance in a bid to evade capture.”

Forden is 175cm tall with a reddish tinge to his hair. When last seen he was wearing prison issue grey sweatpants and sweatshirt.

The public is urged to immediately report any sightings of Forden to police on 111 or any information of where he might be. Police say he is dangerous and should not be approached.

Two photos of Forden are issued – he’s been known to cut his hair short and dye it red. The more recent photo is the one with bushy hair.