Search for escaped prisoners heats up after possible sighting
The manhunt for two killers who escaped a northern New York state prison more than two weeks ago focused on an area along the Pennsylvania border Sunday after a local resident told authorities she might have seen the men walking along railroad tracks.
Investigators said a witness early Saturday afternoon spotted two men who matched the description of escapees David Sweat and Richard Matt. Troopers said it was a credible, though unconfirmed, sighting more than 350 miles from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., from which the two men escaped.
Troopers themselves have not seen the fugitives, but the tip prompted local, state and federal authorities to flood the area with 300 law enforcement personnel, said Maj. Michael Cerretto of the New York State Police. The search focused on the area of Route 20 in Friendship, N.Y. Police also checked vehicles along exits 29 and 30 of Interstate 86 and cleared woods nearby.
"We will continue to search this area until all leads have been exhausted," Ceretto said Sunday afternoon. "As we have in other areas of the state, we will search under every rock, behind every tree and structure, until we are confident that that area is secure."
The two men escaped from the maximum-security prison, near the Canadian border, on June 6. Police said the two used power tools to drill through a wall. They worked their way to a tunnel that led to a manhole about a block from the prison.
Early Sunday morning, caravans holding New York state corrections officers arrived to help continue the search throughout Allegany County, near the Pennsylvania border. Officers from Elmira, Attica, Gowanda and Collins correctional facilities were all contributing to the search.
All traffic was being stopped along I-86 and local roads as police conducted vehicle searches.
Friendship was essentially sealed off while officers search the area, WGRZ -TV reported, with a police helicopter in the sky.
Sweat was serving life without parole after his conviction for the murder of Broome County Sheriff Deputy Kevin Tarsia. Matt was serving 25 years to life after his conviction of murder, kidnapping and robbery. He kidnapped, tortured and killed his former boss, and then dismembered his body.
A pair of possible sightings June 13 in Erwin, N.Y., and June 14 in Lindley, N.Y., flagged state troopers and Steuben County Sheriff officers to search a construction site on Rita's Way near a Gang Mills rail yard in Erwin.
"We don't know if leads are credible," public information state trooper Mark O'Donnell said. "That's why when we get a lead, we go and investigate."
An "extensive number of officers" were brought to the area after the two tips. Investigators conducted a search Saturday before noon while a state trooper was stationed at the entryway of Rita's Way, asking whether anyone had seen anything.
Surveillance footage shows two men walking through a construction site along Rita's Way. The inconclusive video was sent off to Albany for further study, police officials said.
Campbell resident Jim Austin said he heard about the sighting in Erwin and near Lindley on Saturday morning.
"I'll just be a little more attentive when walking, but I won't change the way I do life," Austin said.
Police advised: "If these men are spotted, police advise witnesses to call 911 immediately. Do not approach the men, as both are considered to be very dangerous."
New York state is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the capture of either suspect ($100,000 for both), police said. The U.S. Marshals Service has placed Sweat and Matt on its 15 Most Wanted Fugitives List and is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the capture of either suspect, police said.
Prison worker Joyce Mitchell remains in custody on charges she helped Sweat and Matt escape by providing them hacksaw blades, chisels and other tools. She has pleaded not guilty.
Officials said a corrections officer also has been placed on administrative leave as part of the investigation into the escape. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said no additional information was available.
Follow Kelly Gampel on Twitter @theSGphotos. WGRZ-TV contributed to this report.