A section of unincorporated North Hayward was shutdown on Tuesday morning when a 27-year-old inmate managed to elude law enforcement custody.

According to Alameda County Sheriff Sgt. Ray Kelly, Shawn New escaped from a rental car driven by Kentucky authorities around 9:45 a.m. New was being transported from Santa Rita County Jail in Dublin to San Francisco International airport where he was going to be flown back to Kentucky to face fraud and identity theft, Kelly said.

The car was traveling south on Interstate 880 when traffic came to a standstill. Kelly said a handcuffed New got out of the vehicle and jumped over a wall near the A Street exit where he disappeared into a neighborhood. The sheriff’s teamed up with the Hayward Police Department and the California Highway Patrol to set up a perimeter near the escape, but as of publication time he still was not in custody.

Kelly said a helicopter helped in the search but shortly after 1:30 p.m., the perimeter in the North Hayward neighborhood surrounding the A Street freeway exit was no longer in place. New is 6-feet-one-inch, 165 pounds and was last seen in handcuffs. He had on a blue plaid shirt, blue jeans, brown shoes and anybody who sees him is encouraged to call 911.