SF ex-homeless man to get $100,000 reward for fingering fugitive

Matthew Hay-Chapman, who until recently lived in Golden Gate Park, led police to the jail escapees. Matthew Hay-Chapman, who until recently lived in Golden Gate Park, led police to the jail escapees. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close SF ex-homeless man to get $100,000 reward for fingering fugitive 1 / 22 Back to Gallery

The recently homeless San Francisco man who spotted an escaped kidnapper outside a McDonald’s across from Golden Gate Park and alerted police officers will get his just reward of $100,000, the Orange County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday.

A check will be issued within days to Matthew Hay-Chapman, 55, who flagged down a San Francisco police car Jan. 30 and told officers that the jail escapee who was the subject of a statewide manhunt had just had a cup of coffee inside the fast-food restaurant.

Officers chased down Hossein Nayeri, 37, and also arrested a second escapee, convicted murderer Jonathan Tieu, 20, inside a stolen van that was parked nearby.

Hay-Chapman, who until recently lived in the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park, said he reads the newspaper every day and recognized the description of the stolen van and of the escapees, who had broken out of the Orange County Jail with a third inmate Jan. 22.

Supervisor’s support

Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer said he was pleased to award the six-figure sum to Hay-Chapman, and he described the phone message that the San Francisco man left on his answering machine shortly after the arrests.

“He said he had a duty to bring these individuals back into custody,” Spitzer said. “That was really cool. A lot of people are afraid if they participate, they will get hurt.”

San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr also praised Hay-Chapman, saying, “God bless him for having the courage and for being that observant and that sharp.”

Hay-Chapman, who walks with a cane because of a back injury, has said he would use any reward money to help get his life back in order and to assist his daughter, who is disabled, and his son, who is battling substance abuse.

Long debate

The approval of the award to Hay-Chapman followed a long debate by the Orange County supervisors over the disbursing of lesser reward amounts to others in connection with the arrests.

One supervisor argued at length that a $20,000 reward to the owner of the stolen van should not be paid because the man had cooperated only to get his van back.

But the supervisors voted to reward the van victim with $20,000 and two department store employees with $15,000 each for calling police after the escapees were seen shopping there.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com