Inmate who escaped Hawaii jail, got struck by a vehicle while fleeing police has died

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A recovery team lifted a rental Jeep up a cliff in Hawaii over the weekend after officials say a man inadvertently drove over the edge while trying to see the sunrise. The man was rescued from the water below. (Credit: waterman_mike via Storyful)

An inmate in Hawaii who broke out of jail, jumped onto an interstate during his escape and was hit by a car while fleeing police last week has died, authorities said.

Matthew J. Ornellas Jr., 33, escaped from Kauai Community Correctional Center last Friday but, just moments after escaping the facility, became the victim of a serious hit-and-run. On Thursday, the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said he died of injuries he suffered. 

Officials at the facility said Ornellas scaled a fence with razor wire, and correctional officers gave chase but lost sight of him. 

The correctional officers then heard a loud sound and ultimately found Ornellas on the interstate, about 100 yards from the jail. He was seriously injured and was subsequently hospitalized.

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Matthew J. Ornellas Jr. escaped from Kauai Community Correctional Center just after 1 a.m. Friday, the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.

Orenellas was running north on the southbound lane of Kuhio Highway when he was hit, Kauai police said.

He was serving time for a drug conviction, according to the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it is continuing to investigate the escape.

A view of the skyline of the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu on December 31, 2014.    (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

Ornellas was a minimum-security inmate at the Kauai Community Correctional Center.

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The Kauai Community Correctional Center houses approximately 130 beds. (Marie Eriel Hobro/For the Washington Post)

Authorities are still searching for the driver of the vehicle, who fled before first responders arrived, Kauai police said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.