Convicted Murderers Escape
New York State Police received a call from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora on Saturday morning about two prisoners that were unaccounted for during a 5:30 a.m. bed check. The State Police are now currently searching for the two escaped prisoners who both have murder convictions.
Richard Matt, 48 years old, a white male, 6’ tall, 210 pounds, with black hair and hazel eyes. He has tattoos on back “Mexico Forever”, a heart on his chest and left shoulder, and a marine ...corps insignia on his right shoulder.
David Sweat, 34 years old, white male, 5’11” tall, 165 pounds, brown hair and green eyes. He has tattoos on his left bicep and his right fingers.
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 at (518) 563-3761.
(Update 5:21pm) Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that the prisoners were last seen Friday night at 10:30pm during a regular standing count. Head counts are performed every two hours throughout the night when guards visually check to see if inmates are in their bunks, Clinton Correctional Facility Supervisor Steven Racette said to CNN. The Governor went on to say that Matt and Sweat tricked the guards by arranging things in the bunks to look "like people were sleeping ... with these sweatshirt hoodies on."
Sweat and Matt had side-by-side cells and apparently had obtained power tools to cut through the steel wall in their cells, authorities said.
The men followed a catwalk "down an elaborate maze of pipes into tunnels and exited a series of tunnels at the manhole cover," Cuomo said.
"It was elaborate, it was sophisticated," he said. "It involved drilling through steel walls, steel pipes.
More From WPDH-WPDA
