US police search for escaped prisoners
Print Edition
Police backed by K-9 units and helicopters staged a manhunt yesterday for two convicted murderers who escaped from New York state’s biggest maximum security prison by cutting through cell walls with power tools and escaping along tunnels.
Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, pulled off the unprecedented breakout from the all-male Clinton Correctional Facility in the small town of Dannemora sometime between Friday night and early Saturday.
Police said the discovery was made during a pre-dawn bed check and warned the duo should not be approached.
The inmates reportedly left a taunting note behind on a yellow Post-it saying: “Have A Nice Day.”
The pair, who lived in adjoining cells, used power tools to drill through walls and pipes and left sweatshirts and other clothing in their beds as decoys to make it appear they were still in their cells, officials said.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter he had toured the route the pair took to freedom, posting images of the path the men were believed to have cut to escape.
Overnight Saturday, police with bulletproof vests and rifles manned roadblocks on routes leading into and out of Dannemora, a village of some 1,700 people located 270 kilometers north of the state capital Albany, near the Canadian border.
No one has ever previously escaped from the maximum security portion of the prison, which opened in 1865, according to Cuomo.
“These are two dangerous individuals, one was incarcerated for killing a sheriff, so these are dangerous people,” said Cuomo, who canceled a scheduled appearance at the Belmont Stakes horse race on Saturday to travel to the prison.
“And they are nothing to be trifled with.”
He added: “By definition, it was an extraordinary act.”
More than 200 law enforcement officers were deployed in the search, assisted by a variety of tactical support, including K-9 units, SWAT teams and helicopters.
Matt and Sweat were found missing during a 5:30am bed check, according to state police.
“Both are considered to be a danger to the public. If located do not approach them. Contact 911 or the New York State Police immediately,” authorities said in a statement.
It was unclear whether the men were armed or had received help in plotting their escape.
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