Authorities Searching For Escaped Inmates – Reward Offered

Two convicted murders are on the run after escaping from a maximum-security prison in Dannemora, New York early Saturday morning.

Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, were part of the inmate count at the Clinton County Correctional Facility on Friday night, and then used power tools to tunnel their way out of their cells. The two went through a tunnel, down a catwalk, into the tunnels and pipes under the prison. They finally escaped through a manhole, and authorities believe that the men had a vehicle waiting for them.

More than 200 hundred police officers from around New York State are currently searching for the two convicts. Border Patrol and Canadian authorities have also been alerted.

Police in Western New York are also on the look-out for the escaped men because Richard Matt has ties to Buffalo. He is a Tonawanda native and serving 25 years to life in prison for the murder of local businessman William Rickerson in 1997.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State is offering a $100-thousand-dollar reward for any information that leads to the arrest of Richard Matt and David Sweat.