The Vineland Daily Journal is reporting that a search is underway this morning for a man who escaped custody at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, Cumberland County.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections listed Peter Rusch as an escaped prisoner from Bayside State Prison on Thursday morning.

Rusch is described as a white man, with brown hair and hazel eyes and standing at six feet tall and 210 pounds.

In 2014, Townsquare Media reported that Rusch lured a stranger under the boardwalk on July 23, 2011, on the pretense of a cocaine deal, then held a knife to his throat and taking an estimated $60 to $100 in cash. The victim escaped, but investigators said Rusch had unfinished business.

The next day, the two encountered each other on the boardwalk again and Rusch attacked him a second time, prosecutors said.

A jury convicted Rusch of armed robbery and unlawful possession of a knife in June 2011. He was sentenced the following September and required to serve at least 85 percent of the time under New Jersey's No Early Release Act, along with five years of parole supervision.

Rusch is eligible for parole consideration on January 4, 2024, prosecutors said.

It was not immediately clear Thursday how Rusch escaped custody or where he might be hiding.

This is a developing story. Check back for more information.

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