Authorities found Daquhan Cromer in Lowell, Massachusetts, after his reported presence in Salem triggered an extensive police response and shelter-in-place order.
SALEM, NH — A wanted fugitive described by police as armed and dangerous was taken into custody Wednesday in Lowell, Massachusetts, ending a search that prompted an overnight shelter-in-place order and heightened security at schools in Salem.
Massachusetts State Police and deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service located Daquhan Cromer on Oct. 28 following an extensive search, Salem police said. Cromer was being held in Lowell on a Massachusetts fugitive-from-justice charge. Salem police said they would seek his extradition to New Hampshire, where authorities say he is wanted on an escape warrant and in connection with additional felony cases.
The search began Tuesday night after Cromer was seen near Millville and Taylor streets in Salem, according to police. Officers warned residents in the surrounding area to remain indoors while local, state and federal law enforcement personnel searched for him. Police described Cromer as 6 feet, 2 inches tall and about 215 pounds and said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Police issued the shelter-in-place order as officers searched neighborhoods around the reported sighting. Salem police said the order covered residents near the search area while authorities worked to determine Cromer’s location. The operation continued for several hours before investigators concluded that he was no longer in the immediate area.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted early Wednesday after police said there was no known continuing threat connected to the incident in the Salem search area. The broader effort to locate Cromer continued after the local restrictions were removed. Authorities later tracked him across the state line to Lowell, where he was taken into custody.
The search also affected Salem schools. The Salem School District placed three schools on lockdown Tuesday night while the police operation was underway, according to WMUR. Students remained inside until police authorized their release to parents. Some schools took additional safety precautions Wednesday while Cromer remained at large.
The New Hampshire Department of Corrections told WMUR that Cromer had fled the Calumet House transitional housing unit in December and had remained on escape status. The department said he had originally been incarcerated for simple assault and had a maximum release date in October 2028. Salem police separately said Cromer was wanted in connection with multiple felonies in the community.
Authorities have not publicly detailed the evidence underlying all of the Salem felony allegations, and those accusations have not been adjudicated. Salem police also said Cromer had an outstanding Massachusetts warrant involving an aggravated assault on a child. The status and circumstances of that case were not immediately detailed in the available official updates.
Salem police said Massachusetts State Police and U.S. Marshals Service deputies located Cromer after investigators continued working overnight and into Wednesday. Police did not immediately release a detailed account of how investigators traced him from Salem to Lowell. His arrest shifts the case from a public search to the court and extradition process as New Hampshire authorities seek his return.
Cromer remained in custody in Massachusetts on Wednesday. Salem police said they would pursue extradition so he can be returned to New Hampshire to face the outstanding matters there. Additional details about court appearances and the pending New Hampshire cases had not been released.
Author note: Last updated October 28, 2026.