Police have descended on the town of Friendship, New York, where there were sightings of two convicted murderes who escaped a maximum-security prison two weeks ago.
New York state police spokesman told Reuters that police had set up a perimeter in the area of the town. In addition, the Wellsville Daily Reporter reported that authorities have shut off a highway.
Despite earlier reports that authorities had trapped the convicts on a set of train tracks, police have yet to capture the suspects.
New York state troopers did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment, though according to NBC’s Tom Winter, law enforcement officials did confirm that the fugitives had been seen near Friendship.
Local reporter John Anderson tweeted that police believe that the two fugitives may have separated.
Earlier this month, 48-year-old Richard Matt and 34-year-old David Sweat broke out of a maximum security prison in upstate New York.
Hundreds of law enforcement officials have been involved in the hunt for the two suspects.
As the manhunt extended to its second week, some expressed frustration at the lack of significant leads.
Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the two murderers could be near or “in Mexico by now.”
Both Matt and Sweat were serving potential life sentences for murder. Matt previously escaped a different jail in New York in 1986.
“They went onto a catwalk which is about six stories high. We estimate they climbed down and had power tools and were able to get out to this facility through tunnels, cutting away at several spots.”
Before reportedly escaping through a manhole outside the prison, the two fugitives cut their way through several tunnels with power tools and worked their way through scaffolding that’s six-stories high.
As reported by Business Insider