HARAHAN, LA. ? A fugitive who jumped off a freight train in suburban New Orleans was caught because of a distinctive feature: tattoos spread across the apples of both cheeks.

James Sali, who was wanted in Kansas City, Mo., on a murder warrant, had been featured on “America’s Most Wanted,” tattoos and all.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee said an anonymous tipster called his agency and reported seeing a man fitting Sali’s description get off the train Monday.

“It was the tattoos,” Lee said.

A drifter who rode freight trains around the country, Sali is accused of fatally beating a fellow transient last year. The television show featuring Sali’s case aired Saturday, the one-year anniversary of the killing.

After the tip, a deputy found Sali, two other men and woman trying to hitch a ride. Sali was carrying a pocket knife and a camping hatchet, Lee said. The other people were booked with soliciting a ride, a misdemeanor.

As he was led from a lockup in Metairie to a waiting patrol car, Sali told reporters: “Make sure you put down the FTRA.” The Freight Train Riders of America is a violent group of transients suspected in hundreds of murders, robberies and assaults, authorities say.

If Sali waives extradition, he will be turned over to Kansas City Police, Lee said.