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It was the Friday night of Columbus Day weekend. I arrived at the office at 11 pm, ready to write, produce and anchor Newswatch 16 Saturday morning. The newsroom was all abuzz. We knew there was an escape at the jail and rumor had it that it was Hugo.
Technology was rather primitive back then and I remember when our field crew fed the video back to the station via microwave. There was a collective gasp as we saw the bedsheet rope hanging out the window. It was like a TV show, more appropriately, a cartoon. There was a big difference. This was real. It was serious. An accused killer was on the loose.
I called a manager to ask for permission to break in to programming and run a late night news conference live. He didn't hesitate for a nanosecond. The answer was "yes." I added there was no time for me to get dressed in to anchor clothes and apply make up. He said that was okay. Getting the latest information on the air was more important than how I looked, and he was right.
One of the funnier moments in an unfunny night was when I told the boss that there was an unconfirmed report the escapee was Hugo Selenski. The reply: "Oh dear!" I guess you had to be there and know the individual involved.
Our crew that night was photographer Mike Erat and reporter Kyle Schmoyer. Ben Rice photographed the bedsheets hanging from the prison window. They stayed out all night, chasing down every lead, every reported sighting, and they were live in every half hour of Newswatch 16 Saturday morning. Mike, Ben, and Kyle were stars, and I will be forever grateful.
On Monday, Columbus Day, Governor Ed Rendell was in the area, and I asked him about getting state resources to help the locals find Selenski. Of course, he offered whatever the state could do.
Moot point. Selenski surrendered that evening. He had a nice weekend on the run.
The story stayed alive for months as officials figured out how the escape happened and looked for ways to make sure something as embarrassing as that never happens again.
