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 backed by K-9 units and helicopters staged a manhunt on Sunday 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.
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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. Last night, police with bulletproof vests and rifles manned roadblocks on routes leading into and out of Dannemora, a village of some 1,700 people located 170 miles 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 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 5:30 am bed check, according to state police.
'Have a Nice Day' - Massive manhunt on in New York
"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, nor how they got hold of power tools.
After cutting through the steel back walls of their cells, they reportedly clambered along a six-foot-high catwalk to access a twisting series of pipes and tunnels, which they also cut their way into. "We are leaving no stone unturned. They could be literally anywhere," New York State Police Major Charles Guess told a news conference.
New York is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of the men it describes as 'dangerous' and have notified law enforcement in Canada and Mexico about the fugitives."We presume that they may have had access to a vehicle as well as they may have had assistance in their escape effort," Guess said.
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A spokesman for the Ontario Provincial Police in Canada said an alert was issued to all police agencies to be on the lookout for the escapees. Governor Andrew Cuomo, in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" on Sunday, called the escape "elaborate" and "sophisticated."
"The first order of business is to get these killers back. This was the first breakout since 1865 and I want to make sure it's the last," he said.
The two men in adjoining cells drilled holes in walls to break out of them. They then went through a series of catwalks and tunnels, breaking through steel to clear prison grounds and escaping through a manhole on a nearby street, officials said. They used clothing to make it look like they were in their beds and left a yellow note with a smiley face and the words 'have a nice day' on steam pipe.
Authorities have found some of the simple instruments they used but not the power tools. Officials do not know how they acquired the tools but were checking to see if they came from contractors working for the prison. Matt is serving 25 years to life for kidnapping, murdering and dismembering a man.
Sweat, 34, is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for killing a sheriff's deputy. Police said he shot the deputy nearly two dozen times.
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