Homeless man in California could get $100,000 reward for finding stolen van

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The staff report released Wednesday recommends awarding Matthew Hay-Chapman for alerting police last month
He noticed the stolen van Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu were using
Police Chief Greg Suhr has said 'God bless him for having courage and for being that observant and that sharp'

By Associated Press and Zoe Szathmary For Dailymail.com

Published: 22:49 EST, 10 February 2016 | Updated: 03:29 EST, 11 February 2016

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A homeless man deserves up to $100,000 for helping recapture two violent Orange County jail escapees, a new report says.

The staff report released Wednesday recommends awarding Matthew Hay-Chapman for alerting police last month that the pair were in San Francisco. He spotted the stolen van Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu were using.

Orange County supervisors may vote on awarding the county money later this month.

Nayeri, Tieu and Bac Duong - who handed himself in before the van was found - cut through steel plates and bars and climbed down the roof of a county maximum-security jail on January 22.

They took a taxi driver hostage then stole a van and fled to Northern California.

Matthew Hay-Chapman (pictured) alerted police last month that jail escapees Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu were in San Francisco. He spotted the stolen van they were using

Duong helped the taxi driver flee, and surrendered a week after the escape, on January 29.

Nayeri and Tieu were caught on January 30.

In an interview with KGO earlier this month, Hay-Chapman said he saw a parked van at a Whole Foods not far from a McDonald's he regularly goes to.

He said: 'Main thing I noticed people were sleeping in it, cause the windows were all steamed up cause of heavy, heavy condensation.

'I thought to myself, there's two people in that van 'cause I used to live in a Savannah GMC van many years ago when I had a job.'

Hay-Chapman said he saw Nayeri get out of the van. Both he and Nayeri both went into McDonald's, with Nayeri getting in line.

Hay-Chapman told KGO that he went outside and asked a man if he could borrow his phone and was brushed off.

He told KGO while walking to a police station, he saw a a police cruiser, and waved at the vehicle, getting its attention. Hay-Chapman said the vehicle pulled over and he spoke to authorities.

(From left to right) Jonathan Tieu, Hossein Nayeri, and Bac Duong, cut through steel plates and bars and climbed down the roof of a county maximum-security jail on January 22

The police cruiser parked, with officers getting out and approaching the van, he said.

'But all of a sudden a man collapses,' with an officer catching him, Hay-Chapman told KGO.

Nayeri, he said, was holding a cup of coffee and noticed the first responders.

'He's just trying to pretend he's not the guy,' Hay-Chapman told KGO.

Hay-Chapman said he gestured to an officer about Hossein.

Making a pointing movement, he told KGO: 'And I'm going cause I'm right behind Hossein and I go with my cane like this - body language, boom! That's the guy!'

Hay-Chapman has said that while walking to a police station, he saw a a police cruiser, and waved at the vehicle, getting its attention

Hay-Chapman said both he and police lost sight of Nayeri - but that Hay-Chapman saw Nayeri trying to hide between two vehicles.

Nayeri later crossed the street and saw an officer behind him, according to Hay-Chapman.

He told KGO: 'He bolts, the officer on foot bolts after him. Another officer comes over in his cruiser [...] I said, "'They're that way!"'

Hay-Chapman said Nayeri fled on foot - toward the police station.

He told KGO he was later giving a statement to police when he pointed the van out to them - and that police approached the vehicle and Tieu 'came out peacefully'.

Police Chief Greg Suhr told the San Francisco Chronicle: 'Would that every citizen would be paying that much attention.

'God bless him for having courage and for being that observant and that sharp.'