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A prison escapee has been arrested after allegedly carjacking a woman in Sydney's south.
It's believed the woman was assaulted and ordered to drive by the 42-year-old prisoner as she was unpacking her groceries in Little Bay, not far from Long Bay jail, about 12.30pm.
9News understands the man was in a minimum security section and working in a gardening area thought to be outside the prison.
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Police confirmed a woman had been assaulted by a man at Esperance Close in Little Bay and forced to drive to Battye Avenue in Beverley Park.
"Whilst the vehicle was stopped the man ran from the vehicle," NSW Police said in a statement.
"Officers from St George Police Area Command were notified and after a short foot pursuit he was arrested in the same street.
"The man has been taken to Kogarah Police Station and is currently assisting officers."
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Beverley Park resident Sean told 2GB's Deborah Knight he heard screaming coming from his neighbour's front porch and raced outside.
"Neighbours came from everywhere and she said she'd been carjacked and she was absolutely hysterical," he said.
"She was telling a story where she was unpacking her groceries in Little Bay not far from Long Bay jail and she was approached by a gentleman who had driven up in a car with flat tyres."
Sean said the woman said she was then carjacked by the man and he made her drive to Beverley Park.
Thompson said the woman was "quite shaken up" and was taken to hospital.
He said the man was in a green prison uniform so was easily identified.
Corrective Services NSW confirmed the minimum security inmate was arrested after escaping from the Long Bay Correctional Complex.
"Corrective Services NSW became aware the 43-year-old man was unaccounted for at 12.30pm," a Corrective Services NSW spokesman said.
"The centre was immediately placed into lockdown and specialist escape response officers deployed to patrol the perimeter.
"Officers identified the inmate as missing from the external grounds-maintenance crew."
Police arrested the prisoner, who will be reclassified, just after 1pm.
"When an inmate has previously escaped or attempted to escape from prison, they are reclassified to an escape category, which prevents them being held in minimum-security facilities in the future," the spokesman said.
