Prison Escapees Spotted: Escaped New York Prisoners Seen Near Pennsylvania Border

It has been almost two weeks since the two prisoners from the Clinton Correctional Facility escaped. The escapees have led authorities on a massive manhunt across New York. For most of the search, authorities have focused on towns near the prison where Sweat and Matt had escaped. Last week, the prison escapees were spotted near the Pennsylvania border, 300 miles southwest of the Clinton Correctional Facility.

The towns where the escapees were spotted are Erwin, New York, and Lindley, New York. The two men were witnessed in these towns last week. On Friday, the New York State Police issued a statement on the sightings. An excerpt from the press release is below. The full press release can be found here.

“Witnesses spotted two men on June 13 walking near the Gang Mills rail yard on Rita’s Way in the town of Erwin. The next day, two men with the same description were spotted walking along County Route 115 in the town of Lindley, heading toward the Pennsylvania Border.”

Police investigators were sent to the two towns to conduct interviews and collect surveillance camera footage. The video evidence has been sent to Albany in order to authenticate if the prison escapees were spotted in these two towns.

David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York on June 6. The prison escapees used power tools and had help from Joyce Mitchell, an employee of the prison. When Mitchell was arrested, she stated that the two escapees were going to be used to kill her husband, Lyle Mitchell.

Police quickly mobilized hundreds of officials to search for the prison escapees. The early focus of their hunt was in the town of Dannemora, New York. Dannemora is the town where the Clinton Correctional Facility is located. Bloodhounds picked up the scent of the escapees in the town of Cadyville, New York, last week. The hunt for the fugitives went cold until the latest lead of the escapees potentially being close to Pennsylvania.

Authorities continue to remind the public that these two men are very dangerous and should not be approached. The United States Marshall Service has added Matt and Sweat to their 15 Most Wanted Fugitive List, a list reserved for the most dangerous criminals. The state of New York has a reward of $50,000 on each of the escapees. The reward will be given to anyone who has information that leads to their capture.

Were the prison escapees spotted headed toward Pennsylvania, or was it just a case of mistaken identity?

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