A 16-year-old Maui boy who escaped from Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility Wednesday morning has been returned to the facility, a Department of Human Services spokeswoman said.

The boy escaped from about 9:30 a.m. while on a “work line” on HYCF grounds.

As a precaution, nearby Maunawili Elementary was placed on lockdown.

DHS spokeswoman Kayla Rosenfeld said the boy was caught about 2 p.m. as he attempted to climb over a fence and enter a residential area. 

The boy has a criminal record but “at no time was he considered a threat to the community,” Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld said personnel from the state Office of Youth Services captured the boy.

It was his first escape, she said.

Rosenfeld said it is standard protocol to alert Maunawili Elementary and to place classrooms on lockdown in the event of an escape.