1 00:00:02,243 --> 00:00:03,493 - Inside an impenetrable fortress. 2 00:00:03,578 --> 00:00:04,745 - Never in my life would I think 3 00:00:04,838 --> 00:00:06,663 that anybody would be able to get out of there. 4 00:00:06,748 --> 00:00:09,174 - Two men's impossible dreams. 5 00:00:09,259 --> 00:00:11,418 - You cannot tunnel out of Dannemora 6 00:00:11,511 --> 00:00:12,669 unless you have a jackhammer. 7 00:00:12,754 --> 00:00:15,431 - Meet two unlikely partners in crime. 8 00:00:15,590 --> 00:00:18,341 - It was impossible for her to stop once she started. 9 00:00:18,426 --> 00:00:21,270 - Together, they attempt the unthinkable. 10 00:00:21,354 --> 00:00:22,354 - Crazy. 11 00:00:22,513 --> 00:00:25,849 - Escape Dannemora. 12 00:00:25,933 --> 00:00:28,861 [dramatic music] 13 00:00:29,020 --> 00:00:30,279 ♪ ♪ 14 00:00:30,438 --> 00:00:33,106 Some of the greatest stories ever told 15 00:00:33,199 --> 00:00:35,367 start behind the bars. 16 00:00:35,526 --> 00:00:36,943 ♪ ♪ 17 00:00:37,028 --> 00:00:40,706 Locked up in the most notorious prisons in the world, 18 00:00:40,865 --> 00:00:45,210 spied on by guards and fellow prisoners. 19 00:00:45,369 --> 00:00:48,872 It takes a devious mind to find a way out. 20 00:00:48,956 --> 00:00:50,632 ♪ ♪ 21 00:00:50,792 --> 00:00:53,210 It could lead you to freedom, 22 00:00:53,303 --> 00:00:55,879 or it could cost you your life. 23 00:00:55,963 --> 00:00:57,380 ♪ ♪ 24 00:00:57,465 --> 00:01:01,635 But wouldn't you try when you have nothing left to lose? 25 00:01:01,719 --> 00:01:08,558 ♪ ♪ 26 00:01:08,643 --> 00:01:11,737 [tense music] 27 00:01:11,896 --> 00:01:15,398 ♪ ♪ 28 00:01:15,483 --> 00:01:18,401 When you're locked up in Clinton Correctional Facility 29 00:01:18,486 --> 00:01:22,823 in upstate New York, this is your world. 30 00:01:22,907 --> 00:01:28,745 A dark, dank cockroach-infested 8x6 cell. 31 00:01:28,838 --> 00:01:32,091 This place used to be an insane asylum. 32 00:01:32,250 --> 00:01:34,751 Sometimes... 33 00:01:34,844 --> 00:01:37,930 sometimes it feels like it still is. 34 00:01:38,089 --> 00:01:40,173 Between the screams of your fellow inmates 35 00:01:40,266 --> 00:01:44,177 and the rock-hard cot, 36 00:01:44,262 --> 00:01:46,930 it's hard to sleep at night. 37 00:01:47,023 --> 00:01:48,849 But you better get used to it 38 00:01:48,942 --> 00:01:51,860 because if you're sentenced to life here, 39 00:01:51,945 --> 00:01:54,613 the only way out is in a body bag. 40 00:01:54,772 --> 00:01:57,023 ♪ ♪ 41 00:01:57,117 --> 00:02:00,869 The prison's imposing 30-foot-high, 7-foot-thick 42 00:02:00,954 --> 00:02:04,790 concrete perimeter wall looms over the main thoroughfare 43 00:02:04,874 --> 00:02:08,460 of the tiny village of Dannemora. 44 00:02:08,619 --> 00:02:11,788 It's a constant reminder to its citizens 45 00:02:11,881 --> 00:02:14,624 of the evil that lurks behind it. 46 00:02:14,709 --> 00:02:17,219 - The very first thing that you're really struck with 47 00:02:17,303 --> 00:02:23,884 is that massive perimeter wall around this very old prison. 48 00:02:23,968 --> 00:02:26,136 It looks ominous and there's this feeling 49 00:02:26,229 --> 00:02:27,554 that there's a lot of history here. 50 00:02:27,647 --> 00:02:30,307 A lot of dark history here. 51 00:02:30,391 --> 00:02:33,068 - There's a shadow that overcomes you and it's like, 52 00:02:33,227 --> 00:02:34,477 it gives you a chill 53 00:02:34,562 --> 00:02:35,571 and it just reminds you 54 00:02:35,730 --> 00:02:37,656 of like a castle. 55 00:02:37,815 --> 00:02:40,242 Never in my life would I think 56 00:02:40,326 --> 00:02:42,661 that anybody would be able to get out of there. 57 00:02:42,820 --> 00:02:45,831 Never. 58 00:02:45,990 --> 00:02:49,326 - When you look at Dannemora, it's not flat, 59 00:02:49,410 --> 00:02:53,005 and it's because the wall has been poured 60 00:02:53,089 --> 00:02:55,507 directly onto the bedrock of the mountain. 61 00:02:55,592 --> 00:02:58,427 So you cannot tunnel out of Dannemora 62 00:02:58,586 --> 00:03:00,762 unless you have a jackhammer. 63 00:03:00,847 --> 00:03:04,591 The only way out is either breaching those front doors 64 00:03:04,684 --> 00:03:07,594 or going over. 65 00:03:07,687 --> 00:03:11,023 - Who would even try to escape this impregnable fortress? 66 00:03:11,182 --> 00:03:13,016 ♪ ♪ 67 00:03:13,100 --> 00:03:16,445 A remorseless killer named Richard Matt. 68 00:03:16,604 --> 00:03:19,114 He's doing 25 years to life. 69 00:03:19,273 --> 00:03:21,700 They called him Hacksaw because 70 00:03:21,784 --> 00:03:25,454 that was how he dismembered his victim's body. 71 00:03:25,538 --> 00:03:29,449 All of his appeals have failed, so in Matt's mind, 72 00:03:29,542 --> 00:03:35,047 the only path to freedom no matter the odds is escape. 73 00:03:35,206 --> 00:03:41,294 ♪ ♪ 74 00:03:41,387 --> 00:03:44,640 - Richard Matt is a career criminal and ruthless killer. 75 00:03:44,799 --> 00:03:48,885 In 1997, Matt kidnapped 76-year-old 76 00:03:48,978 --> 00:03:50,646 William Rickerson, his former employer, 77 00:03:50,730 --> 00:03:52,648 threw him in the back of his vehicle, 78 00:03:52,807 --> 00:03:54,224 and proceeded to drive around 79 00:03:54,308 --> 00:03:56,401 for approximately the next 27 hours, 80 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:58,812 stopping repeatedly to torture Rickerson 81 00:03:58,905 --> 00:03:59,988 in an attempt to extort money. 82 00:04:00,147 --> 00:04:02,741 When this failed, out of frustration, 83 00:04:02,900 --> 00:04:04,993 Matt simply broke Mr. Rickerson's neck 84 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:08,071 and using a hacksaw dismembered his body, 85 00:04:08,155 --> 00:04:10,490 disposing off it in the Niagara River. 86 00:04:10,574 --> 00:04:12,909 - Matt fled to Mexico, 87 00:04:13,002 --> 00:04:16,413 and he actually committed a second murder. 88 00:04:16,497 --> 00:04:20,175 Was incarcerated by the Mexican authorities 89 00:04:20,260 --> 00:04:22,836 and then nine years later he ended up 90 00:04:22,929 --> 00:04:25,430 at Clinton Correctional Facility to be doing his time. 91 00:04:25,589 --> 00:04:28,758 ♪ ♪ 92 00:04:28,843 --> 00:04:33,430 - Richard Matt, he could sell water to a drowning man. 93 00:04:33,514 --> 00:04:35,015 ♪ ♪ 94 00:04:35,099 --> 00:04:37,025 I mean, if you wanted anything you could get it from him. 95 00:04:37,184 --> 00:04:38,268 He was a hustler. 96 00:04:38,352 --> 00:04:39,436 Richard Matt knew how to manipulate 97 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,772 and move through that environment. 98 00:04:42,865 --> 00:04:46,201 - Richard "Hacksaw" Matt has been trapped behind the walls 99 00:04:46,286 --> 00:04:50,289 of Dannemora for the last seven years, 100 00:04:50,448 --> 00:04:52,949 and he desperately wants out. 101 00:04:53,034 --> 00:04:55,201 - My dad, Richard Matt, 102 00:04:55,295 --> 00:04:56,870 has mentioned escape 103 00:04:56,963 --> 00:04:58,038 on numerous occasions, 104 00:04:58,122 --> 00:05:01,717 as if escape is a for sure thing. 105 00:05:01,876 --> 00:05:03,793 He spoke of Mexico often, 106 00:05:03,878 --> 00:05:05,211 that that's where he wanted to be, 107 00:05:05,296 --> 00:05:08,390 painting on a beach somewhere. 108 00:05:08,549 --> 00:05:12,802 - Richard Matt believes that he can pull off an escape. 109 00:05:12,887 --> 00:05:14,229 Why? 110 00:05:14,314 --> 00:05:17,640 Because he's sure he can manipulate the right people 111 00:05:17,725 --> 00:05:20,060 to get what he'll need. 112 00:05:20,144 --> 00:05:22,729 But how will he escape? 113 00:05:22,813 --> 00:05:25,574 His mind swirls with the possibilities, 114 00:05:25,733 --> 00:05:27,650 thinking through each one. 115 00:05:27,735 --> 00:05:30,070 Searching for a fatal flaw. 116 00:05:30,154 --> 00:05:34,666 Can he dismantle his cell door and hide in a delivery truck? 117 00:05:34,825 --> 00:05:37,827 Or maybe build a ladder to get over the wall? 118 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,997 Can he threaten or bribe the guards? 119 00:05:41,090 --> 00:05:44,334 Dig a tunnel? Something? Anything? 120 00:05:44,418 --> 00:05:47,512 As long as it will get him out of this hell hole. 121 00:05:47,671 --> 00:05:51,183 This won't be Richard Matt's first prison break. 122 00:05:51,342 --> 00:05:53,352 He once jumped the fence at a county jail 123 00:05:53,511 --> 00:05:55,512 outside of Buffalo, 124 00:05:55,605 --> 00:05:59,682 but that was child's play compared to Dannemora. 125 00:05:59,767 --> 00:06:01,276 ♪ ♪ 126 00:06:01,435 --> 00:06:05,030 He needs help, but who can he trust? 127 00:06:05,189 --> 00:06:06,615 ♪ ♪ 128 00:06:06,774 --> 00:06:09,776 Only one man comes to mind. 129 00:06:09,860 --> 00:06:11,370 David Sweat. 130 00:06:11,529 --> 00:06:17,784 ♪ ♪ 131 00:06:17,868 --> 00:06:19,461 - David Sweat was incarcerated 132 00:06:19,620 --> 00:06:20,870 at Clinton Correctional Facility 133 00:06:20,963 --> 00:06:22,872 as a result of his involvement 134 00:06:22,965 --> 00:06:26,876 with the murder of a Deputy Sheriff. 135 00:06:26,969 --> 00:06:28,887 - Sweat has been in Clinton for 12 years, 136 00:06:28,971 --> 00:06:33,049 but he's been in and out of prison most of his adult life. 137 00:06:33,142 --> 00:06:34,801 He's picked up some valuable skills 138 00:06:34,894 --> 00:06:36,395 in prison woodworking shops 139 00:06:36,479 --> 00:06:39,231 and working as an electrician's assistant. 140 00:06:39,390 --> 00:06:42,234 He also happens to be Richard Matt's neighbor 141 00:06:42,393 --> 00:06:43,893 in the cell block. 142 00:06:43,986 --> 00:06:45,061 - Richard Matt and David Sweat 143 00:06:45,154 --> 00:06:48,657 really bonded from doing art together. 144 00:06:48,816 --> 00:06:51,067 The friendship had started 145 00:06:51,152 --> 00:06:54,162 when David saw a painting Richard Matt had done, 146 00:06:54,247 --> 00:06:55,488 and David really admired it. 147 00:06:55,573 --> 00:06:56,832 He thought it was great. 148 00:06:56,991 --> 00:06:59,909 And they started to really paint together a lot, 149 00:07:00,002 --> 00:07:02,921 and that's when they began planning, 150 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:08,168 ♪ ♪ 151 00:07:08,252 --> 00:07:12,431 - Sweat and Matt search for any weakness in the prison, 152 00:07:12,515 --> 00:07:15,925 and they come up with a plan that might just work. 153 00:07:16,010 --> 00:07:18,019 They will remove their cell doors, 154 00:07:18,104 --> 00:07:21,273 sneak out of the cellblock to the industry yard 155 00:07:21,357 --> 00:07:24,767 and climb over that portion of the massive perimeter wall. 156 00:07:24,852 --> 00:07:26,019 - The reason why they were going 157 00:07:26,112 --> 00:07:28,438 to do this particular plan is that the inmates 158 00:07:28,531 --> 00:07:30,782 were fully aware that there was no officer 159 00:07:30,941 --> 00:07:34,035 stationed at that particular wall tower. 160 00:07:34,195 --> 00:07:36,446 - The first step of their plan 161 00:07:36,530 --> 00:07:39,291 is to remove the lock on the cell door. 162 00:07:39,450 --> 00:07:42,627 To do that, they need a specialized security 163 00:07:42,786 --> 00:07:45,630 screwdriver bit, known as a Torx, 164 00:07:45,789 --> 00:07:48,875 but they don't have access to any tools. 165 00:07:48,959 --> 00:07:53,630 They must find someone who can get them what they need. 166 00:07:53,714 --> 00:07:58,643 Richard Matt, always scheming, knows just who to exploit. 167 00:07:58,728 --> 00:08:02,305 The civilian supervisor of the tailor shop where he works, 168 00:08:02,389 --> 00:08:03,648 Joyce Mitchell. 169 00:08:03,807 --> 00:08:09,321 ♪ ♪ 170 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,909 Joyce has a weakness, his buddy David Sweat. 171 00:08:13,993 --> 00:08:16,578 - I think Joyce Mitchell was bored 172 00:08:16,737 --> 00:08:20,999 and was tired of living in this town 173 00:08:21,083 --> 00:08:24,836 and in this marriage for 20 years, 174 00:08:24,921 --> 00:08:28,414 and I think she found excitement. 175 00:08:28,499 --> 00:08:33,178 I noticed many interactions with Joyce and David Sweat. 176 00:08:33,337 --> 00:08:36,673 They would go in the backroom to count material. 177 00:08:36,766 --> 00:08:38,767 - But Eric isn't the only one who noticed 178 00:08:38,926 --> 00:08:40,602 that David Sweat and Joyce Mitchell 179 00:08:40,761 --> 00:08:42,512 would disappear from the workroom 180 00:08:42,596 --> 00:08:44,764 for extended stretches. 181 00:08:44,848 --> 00:08:46,015 - Somebody wrote a note 182 00:08:46,100 --> 00:08:48,860 stating that he was having sexual relations 183 00:08:49,019 --> 00:08:52,355 and disappearing into the back material room with Joyce. 184 00:08:52,448 --> 00:08:54,282 So with that, he was removed. 185 00:08:54,367 --> 00:08:59,204 That's when Richard Matt, "Hacksaw," moved in. 186 00:08:59,363 --> 00:09:02,198 - Joyce knows Matt is friends with Sweat 187 00:09:02,291 --> 00:09:06,202 and uses him to pass messages. 188 00:09:06,295 --> 00:09:10,123 Richard Matt now sees his opening. 189 00:09:10,216 --> 00:09:13,209 He doesn't risk asking for the Torx bit right away. 190 00:09:13,294 --> 00:09:15,295 He starts small. 191 00:09:15,379 --> 00:09:18,223 He asks Mitchell for two pairs of glasses 192 00:09:18,382 --> 00:09:20,559 with LED lights built into them. 193 00:09:20,718 --> 00:09:24,971 He says they are so he and Sweat can paint at night. 194 00:09:25,064 --> 00:09:29,892 - Slowly but surely Matt asks for more and more and more. 195 00:09:29,986 --> 00:09:32,320 - But to ask her for a Torx bit, 196 00:09:32,479 --> 00:09:35,815 something that clearly has nothing to do with painting, 197 00:09:35,899 --> 00:09:37,734 Matt needs to leverage, 198 00:09:37,827 --> 00:09:40,245 something he can blackmail her with. 199 00:09:40,404 --> 00:09:43,740 - The next thing he asked for is some nudes. 200 00:09:43,824 --> 00:09:46,743 [uneasy music] 201 00:09:46,827 --> 00:09:52,749 ♪ ♪ 202 00:09:52,833 --> 00:09:54,259 And she does. 203 00:09:54,343 --> 00:09:57,170 She sends pictures of herself. 204 00:09:57,263 --> 00:10:00,765 - Matt now knows Mitchell will get them the Torx bit, 205 00:10:00,924 --> 00:10:02,684 but they will need to figure out 206 00:10:02,768 --> 00:10:06,346 what size fits the screws on the lock. 207 00:10:06,430 --> 00:10:10,350 This is where David Sweat's shop skills come into play. 208 00:10:10,434 --> 00:10:13,603 ♪ ♪ 209 00:10:13,696 --> 00:10:16,531 - He takes a little imprint of the screw. 210 00:10:16,616 --> 00:10:19,534 He put some putty on this Torx screw, 211 00:10:19,693 --> 00:10:22,787 gets a mold of the screw, get some ink 212 00:10:22,946 --> 00:10:26,532 and a piece of paper and uses the mold as a stamp 213 00:10:26,617 --> 00:10:30,536 to draw out or map out the size of the screw. 214 00:10:30,621 --> 00:10:32,964 He hands that piece of paper off to Matt 215 00:10:33,123 --> 00:10:36,292 who then hands it over to Joyce Mitchell. 216 00:10:36,385 --> 00:10:38,553 - Joyce gets the right-sized Torx bit 217 00:10:38,712 --> 00:10:40,963 and gives it to Richard Matt. 218 00:10:41,048 --> 00:10:44,476 Now he has to smuggle them out of the tailor shop, 219 00:10:44,635 --> 00:10:47,729 which requires passing through a metal detector 220 00:10:47,888 --> 00:10:50,056 on the way back to the cell block. 221 00:10:50,149 --> 00:10:54,569 If he gets caught, the consequences will be severe. 222 00:10:54,654 --> 00:10:56,571 - You walk through that metal detector, 223 00:10:56,656 --> 00:10:58,156 you feel like you're in a spotlight 224 00:10:58,315 --> 00:11:00,659 and it's just shining on you as you walk through. 225 00:11:00,818 --> 00:11:03,569 And it's one of the most uncomfortable times 226 00:11:03,654 --> 00:11:05,321 because you don't know if you're gonna get picked off 227 00:11:05,406 --> 00:11:06,748 and thrown on the wall. 228 00:11:06,832 --> 00:11:09,075 You know, people get beat up. 229 00:11:09,168 --> 00:11:11,077 People will disappear. 230 00:11:11,170 --> 00:11:13,171 - But how will Richard Matt 231 00:11:13,255 --> 00:11:16,833 get the Torx bit through the metal detector? 232 00:11:16,926 --> 00:11:19,511 - If you have something like a set of headphones 233 00:11:19,670 --> 00:11:21,763 that you know there's a hollow spot in, 234 00:11:21,922 --> 00:11:24,933 but they will also ring in the metal in the metal detector, 235 00:11:25,092 --> 00:11:26,685 well, that's a good place 236 00:11:26,844 --> 00:11:28,770 to put something of metal and contraband. 237 00:11:28,929 --> 00:11:30,855 - Matt hides the Torx bit 238 00:11:31,014 --> 00:11:33,766 in the hollow compartment of his headphones. 239 00:11:33,859 --> 00:11:36,269 When he returns to his cell, 240 00:11:36,362 --> 00:11:38,279 he hands them over to Sweat, 241 00:11:38,364 --> 00:11:41,941 who sets to work trying to dismantle the cell door lock. 242 00:11:42,025 --> 00:11:44,619 ♪ ♪ 243 00:11:44,704 --> 00:11:46,612 - David quickly finds out this isn't working. 244 00:11:46,697 --> 00:11:49,866 He's trying to fiddle with it. It's not happening. 245 00:11:49,959 --> 00:11:51,876 He can't get the cell door off. 246 00:11:52,035 --> 00:11:54,546 - Richard Matt and David Sweat have broken many rules 247 00:11:54,630 --> 00:11:59,217 to get to this moment, but it's a dead-end. 248 00:11:59,376 --> 00:12:03,045 Without a better plan, they'll both spend 249 00:12:03,130 --> 00:12:06,224 the rest of their lives wasting away behind bars. 250 00:12:06,383 --> 00:12:09,352 ♪ ♪ 251 00:12:14,066 --> 00:12:17,143 [tense music] 252 00:12:17,236 --> 00:12:19,979 ♪ ♪ 253 00:12:20,063 --> 00:12:22,490 Two Dannemora prisoners are meticulously 254 00:12:22,575 --> 00:12:25,410 and furiously attempting to break out of their cells 255 00:12:25,494 --> 00:12:29,989 at one of the most dangerous prisons in New York State. 256 00:12:30,073 --> 00:12:33,576 They've been at it for a month, but there's a problem. 257 00:12:33,660 --> 00:12:35,828 ♪ ♪ 258 00:12:35,913 --> 00:12:37,747 Richard Matt and David Sweat's 259 00:12:37,831 --> 00:12:41,259 plan to escape the Clinton Correctional Facility 260 00:12:41,418 --> 00:12:46,005 has been thwarted by a handful of screws. 261 00:12:46,089 --> 00:12:49,517 No matter how hard they try, they won't budge. 262 00:12:49,602 --> 00:12:53,262 They can't get to the locking mechanism behind the plate. 263 00:12:53,347 --> 00:12:55,598 ♪ ♪ 264 00:12:55,682 --> 00:12:57,850 Time to come up with plan B. 265 00:12:57,935 --> 00:12:59,769 ♪ ♪ 266 00:12:59,853 --> 00:13:02,614 - David is the one that's thinking, okay, 267 00:13:02,773 --> 00:13:04,941 how do I get from point A to point B? 268 00:13:05,025 --> 00:13:06,951 How do I get out of this cell? 269 00:13:07,036 --> 00:13:10,288 So David sees that there's a vent 270 00:13:10,447 --> 00:13:12,532 at the back of his cell behind his bed, 271 00:13:12,625 --> 00:13:15,535 and he knows that if he cuts around that vent 272 00:13:15,619 --> 00:13:17,796 it leads to the catwalks. 273 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,206 - The area behind the cells are what we call the catwalk. 274 00:13:20,290 --> 00:13:21,374 ♪ ♪ 275 00:13:21,458 --> 00:13:24,460 And everything that services the cells, 276 00:13:24,545 --> 00:13:27,547 plumbing, electrical, cable for the TVs, 277 00:13:27,631 --> 00:13:31,142 all of that is contained in those catwalks. 278 00:13:31,227 --> 00:13:34,145 - David Sweat was allowed into the catwalk areas 279 00:13:34,304 --> 00:13:36,981 on a number of occasions for electrical work 280 00:13:37,140 --> 00:13:40,309 that he would do on fellow inmate cells. 281 00:13:40,394 --> 00:13:42,812 - To access the catwalks, 282 00:13:42,896 --> 00:13:44,814 Sweat's going to need something 283 00:13:44,907 --> 00:13:47,909 to cut out the vent behind his bed. 284 00:13:47,993 --> 00:13:51,571 David Sweat is a mastermind at exploiting weaknesses 285 00:13:51,655 --> 00:13:54,240 in the physical structure of the prison, 286 00:13:54,333 --> 00:13:58,419 but Richard Matt's genius, knowing who to exploit, 287 00:13:58,579 --> 00:14:00,413 is just as important. 288 00:14:00,497 --> 00:14:05,343 ♪ ♪ 289 00:14:05,502 --> 00:14:08,421 - Joyce says in some ways that Richard Matt 290 00:14:08,514 --> 00:14:12,925 made it impossible for her to stop once she started. 291 00:14:13,018 --> 00:14:15,678 She knew that Richard Matt was very vindictive 292 00:14:15,762 --> 00:14:18,106 and that there would be a price to pay 293 00:14:18,190 --> 00:14:21,684 if she didn't continue going down the road 294 00:14:21,768 --> 00:14:24,863 that she already started walking down. 295 00:14:24,947 --> 00:14:27,273 - So they went to plan number two, 296 00:14:27,357 --> 00:14:30,201 which was the smuggling in of hacksaw blades 297 00:14:30,286 --> 00:14:32,028 that Joyce Mitchell had purchased 298 00:14:32,121 --> 00:14:34,622 at the local Walmart store. 299 00:14:34,707 --> 00:14:37,700 - How is Richard Matt going to get these big metal 300 00:14:37,784 --> 00:14:40,369 hacksaw blades out of the tailor shop 301 00:14:40,454 --> 00:14:43,047 without being caught by the metal detector? 302 00:14:43,206 --> 00:14:46,959 Richard Matt, a master manipulator, 303 00:14:47,044 --> 00:14:50,221 sets to work on another potential accomplice. 304 00:14:50,306 --> 00:14:54,893 Someone he spent years befriending. 305 00:14:55,052 --> 00:14:58,471 Correctional Officer Gene Palmer. 306 00:14:58,564 --> 00:15:04,477 ♪ ♪ 307 00:15:04,561 --> 00:15:06,479 - Gene Palmer was on the beat-up squad 308 00:15:06,563 --> 00:15:08,573 and what the beat-up squad is, 309 00:15:08,657 --> 00:15:10,399 it's a group of officers 310 00:15:10,484 --> 00:15:11,910 that come and beat the hell 311 00:15:11,994 --> 00:15:13,569 out of whoever's doing what wrong. 312 00:15:13,654 --> 00:15:14,820 - Gene Palmer, 313 00:15:14,905 --> 00:15:16,331 he'd really gotten to know Richard Matt. 314 00:15:16,415 --> 00:15:21,327 The two had an understanding, and Palmer knew Matt 315 00:15:21,420 --> 00:15:24,505 could keep the peace in the housing block, 316 00:15:24,590 --> 00:15:26,332 and Palmer would give him art supplies. 317 00:15:26,416 --> 00:15:28,843 - Richard Matt doesn't tell Palmer about the blades, 318 00:15:28,928 --> 00:15:31,012 but he relies on their friendship 319 00:15:31,171 --> 00:15:35,350 as a part of his ruse to get around the security checkpoint. 320 00:15:35,509 --> 00:15:37,936 - So the hacksaw blades 321 00:15:38,020 --> 00:15:40,596 would be at Richard Matt's workstation. 322 00:15:40,681 --> 00:15:45,610 He would go towards the men's room, tape them to his torso, 323 00:15:45,694 --> 00:15:50,189 and he had medical conditions that he would fake 324 00:15:50,273 --> 00:15:52,191 and he would have the escort officer, 325 00:15:52,284 --> 00:15:54,360 and in this case, that was Officer Palmer. 326 00:15:54,453 --> 00:15:56,621 - He is ushered out of the tailor shop, 327 00:15:56,780 --> 00:15:59,031 never put through a metal detector, 328 00:15:59,116 --> 00:16:02,535 gets back to his cell which is next to David Sweat's cell. 329 00:16:02,619 --> 00:16:04,120 ♪ ♪ 330 00:16:04,204 --> 00:16:07,206 - These hacksaw blades would be split between inmate Matt 331 00:16:07,290 --> 00:16:09,375 as well as inmate Sweat. 332 00:16:09,459 --> 00:16:11,460 - David was very smart. 333 00:16:11,545 --> 00:16:13,963 He took hacksaw blades and he wrapped them in fabric 334 00:16:14,047 --> 00:16:16,891 to make sure that he was protecting his fingers. 335 00:16:16,976 --> 00:16:20,979 So as he sawed away, his hands would be protected. 336 00:16:21,063 --> 00:16:22,730 - David Sweat was very meticulous 337 00:16:22,815 --> 00:16:24,649 about a lot of things that he did. 338 00:16:24,733 --> 00:16:26,726 Not only did he always beat me at chess, 339 00:16:26,819 --> 00:16:31,155 but when he was cutting out of the back of his cell 340 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:36,318 he took four magnets from inside of headphones 341 00:16:36,403 --> 00:16:39,321 and he wrapped them with masking tape 342 00:16:39,406 --> 00:16:42,500 and as he cut through the back of his cell, 343 00:16:42,584 --> 00:16:45,503 the metal filings would fall onto the magnets 344 00:16:45,662 --> 00:16:47,329 that were wrapped in a masking tape. 345 00:16:47,414 --> 00:16:49,090 That way you can just put them under water, 346 00:16:49,249 --> 00:16:51,009 and it rinses right off. 347 00:16:51,093 --> 00:16:53,344 - He even tapes the feet of the bed 348 00:16:53,503 --> 00:16:56,431 so he can slide the bed back and forth 349 00:16:56,590 --> 00:16:58,758 without anyone hearing. 350 00:16:58,842 --> 00:17:00,685 - They would cut approximately two inches 351 00:17:00,769 --> 00:17:03,521 every evening during the evening recreation. 352 00:17:03,605 --> 00:17:06,682 - Nobody is going to hear the sawing 353 00:17:06,767 --> 00:17:09,193 of the back of the cells in A Block 354 00:17:09,278 --> 00:17:12,688 because in the evenings when they were doing their work 355 00:17:12,773 --> 00:17:16,358 you have one TV of movies. 356 00:17:16,443 --> 00:17:19,278 So the noise from that, then you have noise 357 00:17:19,371 --> 00:17:22,957 from guys playing cards and hooting and hollering. 358 00:17:23,042 --> 00:17:26,044 You have showers going, you have people on the phone, 359 00:17:26,128 --> 00:17:27,620 you have all the kitchen noise. 360 00:17:27,713 --> 00:17:29,538 It's just impossible. 361 00:17:29,623 --> 00:17:35,386 ♪ ♪ 362 00:17:35,471 --> 00:17:37,630 - After three weeks of sawing, 363 00:17:37,714 --> 00:17:40,975 David Sweat finishes cutting his way out of his cell, 364 00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:43,135 but before he can explore the catwalks 365 00:17:43,220 --> 00:17:44,887 and look for a way out, 366 00:17:44,971 --> 00:17:47,973 he needs to disguise his absence. 367 00:17:48,058 --> 00:17:50,810 - He places in his bedding sweatshirts, 368 00:17:50,894 --> 00:17:53,145 sweatpants stuffed with assorted clothing, 369 00:17:53,238 --> 00:17:55,981 giving the appearance once you threw a sheet over it 370 00:17:56,075 --> 00:17:58,743 of a sleeping inmate. 371 00:17:58,827 --> 00:18:03,072 - It's very plausible that an officer would mistake them 372 00:18:03,156 --> 00:18:05,908 for an inmate because the state allowed them 373 00:18:05,992 --> 00:18:08,252 to put the blankets right up over their heads. 374 00:18:08,411 --> 00:18:10,588 - Inmate Matt would also keep watch 375 00:18:10,747 --> 00:18:13,165 for any potential security rounds 376 00:18:13,250 --> 00:18:15,501 and provide distractions needed. 377 00:18:15,594 --> 00:18:18,254 - After standing count, which is when the guards make sure 378 00:18:18,347 --> 00:18:20,431 everyone is in their cells, 379 00:18:20,590 --> 00:18:23,342 the lights go out and David leaves. 380 00:18:23,426 --> 00:18:25,520 ♪ ♪ 381 00:18:25,604 --> 00:18:26,771 - Sweat's excursions 382 00:18:26,855 --> 00:18:30,599 into the catwalks become a nightly event. 383 00:18:30,684 --> 00:18:31,934 ♪ ♪ 384 00:18:32,018 --> 00:18:35,363 - Inmate Sweat would be able to wiggle his way 385 00:18:35,447 --> 00:18:36,531 between the catwalk 386 00:18:36,690 --> 00:18:38,941 and the cell walls from the third floor 387 00:18:39,025 --> 00:18:40,368 down to the subterranean tunnels 388 00:18:40,452 --> 00:18:42,862 where he would start his exploration. 389 00:18:42,955 --> 00:18:46,115 - It's very dark in the subterranean tunnels, 390 00:18:46,199 --> 00:18:48,793 but luckily David has the light 391 00:18:48,877 --> 00:18:51,546 from the illuminated glasses Joyce gave him 392 00:18:51,630 --> 00:18:54,298 to help him find his way in. 393 00:18:54,383 --> 00:18:57,885 - David is surprised that there aren't a lot of locked doors 394 00:18:57,970 --> 00:18:59,712 and gates as he would have thought there would have been. 395 00:18:59,796 --> 00:19:02,223 So he is free to move about. 396 00:19:02,307 --> 00:19:03,808 - Each night, David Sweat 397 00:19:03,892 --> 00:19:07,478 spends several hours exploring the tunnels. 398 00:19:07,563 --> 00:19:09,814 He has to make sure he's back in his cell 399 00:19:09,973 --> 00:19:12,558 before someone notices he's missing. 400 00:19:12,642 --> 00:19:14,152 - So at the standing count, 401 00:19:14,311 --> 00:19:16,645 the officers of the cell block they ring a bell. 402 00:19:16,738 --> 00:19:17,980 That's their wake-up bell. 403 00:19:18,064 --> 00:19:19,323 And then the officers will check 404 00:19:19,408 --> 00:19:21,734 to make sure that everybody is up. 405 00:19:21,827 --> 00:19:24,486 They have to turn their light on and so then we know 406 00:19:24,571 --> 00:19:26,655 that the inmate is alive and well. 407 00:19:26,740 --> 00:19:28,324 - When he does come back, 408 00:19:28,408 --> 00:19:31,493 he makes sure he's got water on the hot plate. 409 00:19:31,578 --> 00:19:34,246 He gets it warm and he washes off his hands. 410 00:19:34,339 --> 00:19:37,008 He washes off his face. He changes his shirt. 411 00:19:37,167 --> 00:19:41,262 He makes sure that there's no evidence 412 00:19:41,346 --> 00:19:42,922 that he is doing this every night. 413 00:19:43,006 --> 00:19:45,099 ♪ ♪ 414 00:19:45,184 --> 00:19:47,185 - Richard Matt breaches his cell 415 00:19:47,344 --> 00:19:50,188 a week after David Sweat, but the two decide 416 00:19:50,272 --> 00:19:52,848 that Matt should be the one to keep watch 417 00:19:52,933 --> 00:19:55,601 while the fitter, more agile Sweat 418 00:19:55,694 --> 00:19:58,696 scours the tunnels, searching for the way out. 419 00:19:58,780 --> 00:20:00,439 - From the windows in the tailor shop, 420 00:20:00,532 --> 00:20:03,868 you can actually look out and see the power plant. 421 00:20:04,027 --> 00:20:06,195 - The power plant is on the other side 422 00:20:06,288 --> 00:20:08,789 of the prison's perimeter wall. 423 00:20:08,949 --> 00:20:12,793 If sweat can find some pipes that lead to the power plant, 424 00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:15,955 he could be one step closer to an underground route 425 00:20:16,039 --> 00:20:19,959 that will take him beyond the prison walls. 426 00:20:20,043 --> 00:20:22,711 ♪ ♪ 427 00:20:22,796 --> 00:20:28,717 But on one night of exploring, he discovers he isn't alone. 428 00:20:28,802 --> 00:20:32,730 - A staff member was in the catwalk area smoking, 429 00:20:32,814 --> 00:20:34,056 and then discarded that cigarette butt. 430 00:20:34,140 --> 00:20:38,402 ♪ ♪ 431 00:20:38,561 --> 00:20:42,740 Which ended up at David Sweat's feet. 432 00:20:42,899 --> 00:20:47,495 - It crosses his mind that oh, man, this is real, 433 00:20:47,654 --> 00:20:49,038 and I might be found out. 434 00:20:56,913 --> 00:20:59,415 - A guard has just thrown a lit cigarette down 435 00:20:59,499 --> 00:21:02,084 where David Sweat is hiding. 436 00:21:02,168 --> 00:21:06,505 Luckily, the guard hasn't noticed David as he explores 437 00:21:06,589 --> 00:21:09,258 the bowels of the prison looking for a way out. 438 00:21:09,342 --> 00:21:10,926 ♪ ♪ 439 00:21:11,011 --> 00:21:16,598 Without a map, Sweat's just rat in a maze 440 00:21:16,692 --> 00:21:19,935 testing each pathway night after night. 441 00:21:20,020 --> 00:21:21,529 ♪ ♪ 442 00:21:21,613 --> 00:21:23,605 - Sweat searched high and low 443 00:21:23,690 --> 00:21:25,283 through the prison substructure 444 00:21:25,367 --> 00:21:28,944 for conduit or piping that would indicate 445 00:21:29,029 --> 00:21:30,529 that it would lead out to the power plant, 446 00:21:30,613 --> 00:21:33,032 which is outside the wall. 447 00:21:33,116 --> 00:21:35,376 ♪ ♪ 448 00:21:35,535 --> 00:21:37,461 - The big turning point 449 00:21:37,546 --> 00:21:40,965 was when they came across a steam pipe 450 00:21:41,049 --> 00:21:44,051 that basically told them one was the incoming steam, 451 00:21:44,136 --> 00:21:47,463 one was the outgoing steam. 452 00:21:47,547 --> 00:21:49,890 - David Sweat follows the pipe through the dark, 453 00:21:49,975 --> 00:21:51,559 bug-infested basement 454 00:21:51,643 --> 00:21:54,303 underneath three housing blocks, 455 00:21:54,387 --> 00:21:57,389 hoping it will take him under the prison wall 456 00:21:57,482 --> 00:21:59,725 to the power plant. 457 00:21:59,809 --> 00:22:06,148 ♪ ♪ 458 00:22:06,232 --> 00:22:08,743 - David hits a brick wall, 459 00:22:08,827 --> 00:22:11,987 and he realizes that he needs to get through this wall. 460 00:22:12,072 --> 00:22:16,667 - David knows this pipe leads to freedom, 461 00:22:16,752 --> 00:22:20,079 but all he has to remove the brick surrounding the pipe 462 00:22:20,172 --> 00:22:23,924 is his dull hacksaw. 463 00:22:24,084 --> 00:22:27,011 It's slow, tedious work. 464 00:22:27,170 --> 00:22:30,589 He removes only three or four bricks a night. 465 00:22:30,682 --> 00:22:33,100 - On a nightly basis, he would replace those bricks 466 00:22:33,185 --> 00:22:35,427 just in case any of the correction officers 467 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,014 might be conducting a routine search of the prison 468 00:22:39,107 --> 00:22:41,850 would notice something out of place. 469 00:22:41,935 --> 00:22:44,362 - It seems as if he's never going to finish 470 00:22:44,446 --> 00:22:46,781 making a hole big enough for himself, 471 00:22:46,940 --> 00:22:50,859 let alone his larger partner in crime, Richard Matt. 472 00:22:50,944 --> 00:22:53,779 ♪ ♪ 473 00:22:53,872 --> 00:22:56,782 [suspenseful music] 474 00:22:56,875 --> 00:23:00,628 ♪ ♪ 475 00:23:00,712 --> 00:23:05,124 It's been a month of relentless, back-breaking work, 476 00:23:05,208 --> 00:23:08,719 but one night David Sweat gets a big break. 477 00:23:08,804 --> 00:23:11,046 Down in the tunnels, 478 00:23:11,131 --> 00:23:14,633 he stumbles on a large contractor's toolbox. 479 00:23:14,717 --> 00:23:16,477 ♪ ♪ 480 00:23:16,561 --> 00:23:17,970 - A gang box. 481 00:23:18,054 --> 00:23:20,898 It's an all-metal box, and inside the gang box 482 00:23:20,982 --> 00:23:24,735 are all the outside work crew tools. 483 00:23:24,894 --> 00:23:27,229 They're not supposed to be in there at all, 484 00:23:27,313 --> 00:23:30,899 but in order to save time at the front gate, 485 00:23:30,984 --> 00:23:34,153 the deputy superintendent gave them the okay 486 00:23:34,237 --> 00:23:35,404 to put their tools 487 00:23:35,488 --> 00:23:38,407 in a gang box in the bottom of A Block. 488 00:23:38,491 --> 00:23:41,160 - And the most useful item is sitting next 489 00:23:41,244 --> 00:23:43,162 to that gang box: 490 00:23:43,246 --> 00:23:45,005 ♪ ♪ 491 00:23:45,090 --> 00:23:47,416 A sledgehammer. 492 00:23:47,500 --> 00:23:48,676 - It was a phenomenal finding. 493 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,003 It gave them that extra power that they needed. 494 00:23:51,087 --> 00:23:53,505 ♪ ♪ 495 00:23:53,590 --> 00:23:57,518 - But that's not all Sweat finds down in the tunnels. 496 00:23:57,602 --> 00:23:59,937 - David Sweat find items 497 00:24:00,021 --> 00:24:01,930 that would later prove very valuable. 498 00:24:02,015 --> 00:24:04,099 An extension cord with a light on it 499 00:24:04,184 --> 00:24:06,268 that he would utilize for a working light 500 00:24:06,352 --> 00:24:08,270 as well as a power source. 501 00:24:08,363 --> 00:24:09,947 He would find a piece of rebar 502 00:24:10,031 --> 00:24:13,025 that he would fashion into a crude chisel 503 00:24:13,118 --> 00:24:16,195 and the list goes on. 504 00:24:16,279 --> 00:24:19,281 - Armed with his chisel and the sledgehammer, 505 00:24:19,365 --> 00:24:21,366 David works for two weeks 506 00:24:21,460 --> 00:24:24,545 making enough room to squeeze through the brick wall, 507 00:24:24,704 --> 00:24:26,788 but on the other side, 508 00:24:26,873 --> 00:24:31,043 he realizes that this was not the perimeter wall after all. 509 00:24:31,127 --> 00:24:34,054 ♪ ♪ 510 00:24:34,139 --> 00:24:36,891 That wall is still ahead of him 511 00:24:36,975 --> 00:24:40,144 and it's made of solid concrete. 512 00:24:40,228 --> 00:24:42,563 - David hits the subterranean wall, 513 00:24:42,647 --> 00:24:44,806 and it's the perimeter wall. 514 00:24:44,891 --> 00:24:48,319 It's the wall that surrounds the prison. 515 00:24:48,403 --> 00:24:52,397 He's looking at this wall and he's thinking to himself 516 00:24:52,482 --> 00:24:57,069 how am I gonna possibly be able to get through? 517 00:24:57,153 --> 00:24:59,747 - Chipping away at this seven-foot-thick slab 518 00:24:59,831 --> 00:25:03,742 of concrete is going to take years, maybe decades. 519 00:25:03,835 --> 00:25:05,744 ♪ ♪ 520 00:25:05,828 --> 00:25:08,255 It looks like David Sweat and Richard Matt 521 00:25:08,340 --> 00:25:12,676 will be stuck in this dark, depressing prison forever. 522 00:25:17,757 --> 00:25:20,592 [light dramatic music] 523 00:25:20,677 --> 00:25:24,263 ♪ ♪ 524 00:25:24,347 --> 00:25:27,942 - Three months into their plan to escape from Dannemora, 525 00:25:28,026 --> 00:25:30,778 convicts Richard Matt and David Sweat 526 00:25:30,862 --> 00:25:34,690 are staring at their final obstacle. 527 00:25:34,774 --> 00:25:37,776 Seven feet of solid concrete 528 00:25:37,860 --> 00:25:41,205 poured straight into the bedrock. 529 00:25:41,289 --> 00:25:46,118 Clinton Correctional Facility's infamous parameter wall. 530 00:25:46,202 --> 00:25:47,461 ♪ ♪ 531 00:25:47,546 --> 00:25:51,957 The two men joke how in "The Shawshank Redemption" 532 00:25:52,050 --> 00:25:55,127 Andy Dufrenese tunneled out of prison in 20 years. 533 00:25:55,211 --> 00:25:56,971 ♪ ♪ 534 00:25:57,055 --> 00:26:00,474 They think they can do it in ten. 535 00:26:00,633 --> 00:26:03,719 - Sweat then began the arduous task of chiseling away 536 00:26:03,812 --> 00:26:05,563 at the bottom of the wall 537 00:26:05,647 --> 00:26:07,064 with the sledgehammer that he had found 538 00:26:07,148 --> 00:26:10,392 and a crude chisel that he formed from a pry bar. 539 00:26:10,485 --> 00:26:12,903 - Matt joins Sweat for a few nights 540 00:26:12,988 --> 00:26:15,573 as they try to make some headway. 541 00:26:15,732 --> 00:26:17,825 - They're chipping away at it ever so slowly. 542 00:26:17,984 --> 00:26:19,234 I mean, they're gaining, 543 00:26:19,327 --> 00:26:21,236 but it's gonna be a labor of love 544 00:26:21,321 --> 00:26:24,239 and it's gonna be a long time coming. 545 00:26:24,324 --> 00:26:27,826 - Most nights Matt keeps watch for guards in the cellblock 546 00:26:27,919 --> 00:26:30,421 as Sweat returns to the same gang box to check 547 00:26:30,505 --> 00:26:32,831 if workers have left any new tools. 548 00:26:32,915 --> 00:26:35,083 ♪ ♪ 549 00:26:35,176 --> 00:26:36,418 - On this one particular occasion, 550 00:26:36,511 --> 00:26:39,930 it was a treasure chest full of power drills, 551 00:26:40,015 --> 00:26:43,508 grinders all sorts of power tools, 552 00:26:43,602 --> 00:26:46,261 but they don't have the needed bits to drill 553 00:26:46,346 --> 00:26:48,930 into the base of the perimeter wall. 554 00:26:49,015 --> 00:26:52,776 - Once again, the master manipulator, Richard Matt, 555 00:26:52,935 --> 00:26:56,188 knows exactly who to go to for help. 556 00:26:56,272 --> 00:26:58,523 By this point, Joyce Mitchell 557 00:26:58,608 --> 00:27:01,535 is a willing participant in the escape. 558 00:27:01,694 --> 00:27:04,863 She's even planning on providing the escape vehicle 559 00:27:04,947 --> 00:27:08,542 once the men find their way outside of the prison walls. 560 00:27:08,627 --> 00:27:13,538 - I think Joyce was living in this fantasy 561 00:27:13,623 --> 00:27:18,385 that she was going to go off with Sweat and Matt, 562 00:27:18,470 --> 00:27:21,713 ride in the sunset, go to Mexico. 563 00:27:21,798 --> 00:27:24,975 - Richard Matt asked Joyce for cement bits 564 00:27:25,060 --> 00:27:26,885 and a steel punch, 565 00:27:26,969 --> 00:27:29,313 and he comes up with an ingenious way 566 00:27:29,472 --> 00:27:32,808 to get these tools into his cellblock. 567 00:27:32,892 --> 00:27:34,643 - Anything that you buy from the commissary 568 00:27:34,727 --> 00:27:36,144 in any correctional facility 569 00:27:36,229 --> 00:27:38,730 in New York State is cooked. 570 00:27:38,823 --> 00:27:40,991 Raw meat is not allowed. 571 00:27:41,076 --> 00:27:43,402 - While it's against the rules, 572 00:27:43,486 --> 00:27:45,996 it's not uncommon for corrections officers 573 00:27:46,081 --> 00:27:48,999 to give raw meat to inmates they like 574 00:27:49,084 --> 00:27:51,669 because there's nothing worse than prison food. 575 00:27:51,753 --> 00:27:53,003 - Richard Matt tells Joyce Mitchell 576 00:27:53,088 --> 00:27:56,248 that the best way to smuggle the needed materials 577 00:27:56,332 --> 00:27:59,418 was to place it in a hamburger and freeze the hamburger 578 00:27:59,511 --> 00:28:01,428 and smuggled the bits inside the hamburger 579 00:28:01,587 --> 00:28:03,430 back into the facility 580 00:28:03,589 --> 00:28:05,006 - At the tailor shop, 581 00:28:05,091 --> 00:28:08,510 Joyce Mitchell hands the meat to Matt's other mark, 582 00:28:08,594 --> 00:28:11,605 Corrections Officer Gene Palmer, 583 00:28:11,690 --> 00:28:13,849 then delivers it to his cell. 584 00:28:13,933 --> 00:28:16,601 - Palmer knew nothing about these two escaping. 585 00:28:16,686 --> 00:28:20,188 He didn't realize that the items that he was giving Matt 586 00:28:20,281 --> 00:28:23,608 allowed these two to break out. 587 00:28:23,693 --> 00:28:28,872 ♪ ♪ 588 00:28:29,031 --> 00:28:32,951 - For the last 50 days, Sweat has toiled away 589 00:28:33,044 --> 00:28:35,295 in the claustrophobic bowels of the prison. 590 00:28:35,380 --> 00:28:38,716 Armed with the concrete drill bits and a new punch, 591 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:40,551 he finally has a way 592 00:28:40,710 --> 00:28:43,962 to breach the prison's infamous perimeter wall. 593 00:28:44,055 --> 00:28:47,558 He's hopeful he will leave this hell hole behind 594 00:28:47,642 --> 00:28:50,719 as he heads to the gang box with the power tools. 595 00:28:50,803 --> 00:28:53,805 [tense music] 596 00:28:53,898 --> 00:29:00,988 ♪ ♪ 597 00:29:01,147 --> 00:29:05,075 - Unfortunately, by the time that the bits were delivered 598 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,152 the gang box is gone. 599 00:29:07,236 --> 00:29:10,405 ♪ ♪ 600 00:29:10,498 --> 00:29:13,992 They're back to square one. 601 00:29:14,076 --> 00:29:16,578 ♪ ♪ 602 00:29:16,671 --> 00:29:18,997 - It's looking pretty hopeless, 603 00:29:19,081 --> 00:29:23,001 but all of a sudden everything changes. 604 00:29:23,085 --> 00:29:29,266 ♪ ♪ 605 00:29:29,350 --> 00:29:32,260 All this time they've been working away 606 00:29:32,345 --> 00:29:35,430 next to a steaming hot pipe, 607 00:29:35,515 --> 00:29:41,436 but today for the first time, the pipe is cold. 608 00:29:41,521 --> 00:29:45,190 The prison heating system is off for the summer. 609 00:29:45,274 --> 00:29:46,950 ♪ ♪ 610 00:29:47,035 --> 00:29:51,538 This could be their way through. 611 00:29:51,623 --> 00:29:53,949 - Sweat would later tell investigators this is it. 612 00:29:54,042 --> 00:29:56,293 I knew now that I had a route. 613 00:29:56,377 --> 00:29:59,704 - They knew that if they're able to breach into that pipe 614 00:29:59,789 --> 00:30:02,123 then they would simply breach on the other side 615 00:30:02,208 --> 00:30:05,302 of the perimeter wall to freedom. 616 00:30:05,461 --> 00:30:08,055 - David goes back to using his hacksaw 617 00:30:08,139 --> 00:30:12,884 and he devises a clever way to make the difficult cut. 618 00:30:12,969 --> 00:30:15,554 - They had also found a Mountain Dew bottle. 619 00:30:15,638 --> 00:30:18,148 They would fill the Mountain Dew bottle full of water 620 00:30:18,233 --> 00:30:22,060 and use it as a lubricant as they cut through the pipe 621 00:30:22,144 --> 00:30:25,489 to save the blades and to keep the metal cool 622 00:30:25,573 --> 00:30:30,151 so it would be easier to cut through that pipe. 623 00:30:30,236 --> 00:30:34,331 - Cutting ten inches a night, David finishes the first hole. 624 00:30:34,415 --> 00:30:37,167 - So when David's cutting into the steam pipe, 625 00:30:37,252 --> 00:30:40,838 he has to then crawl through that hole and pop out 626 00:30:40,922 --> 00:30:42,497 another part of the steam pipe 627 00:30:42,582 --> 00:30:44,341 which means he has to cut his way out 628 00:30:44,425 --> 00:30:48,169 once he is inside the pipe 629 00:30:48,254 --> 00:30:50,088 - But the pipe's cramped. 630 00:30:50,181 --> 00:30:54,259 Cutting it from the inside is incredibly difficult. 631 00:30:54,352 --> 00:30:57,095 - Being in that steam pipe, it's very narrow. 632 00:30:57,188 --> 00:30:58,438 It's not huge. 633 00:30:58,523 --> 00:31:02,609 And so he is working in extremely close quarters 634 00:31:02,694 --> 00:31:03,777 - Night after night, 635 00:31:03,862 --> 00:31:07,856 David Sweat toils away at the cuts. 636 00:31:07,940 --> 00:31:11,526 ♪ ♪ 637 00:31:11,611 --> 00:31:14,362 David makes his last cut. 638 00:31:14,447 --> 00:31:16,114 For the first time since he arrived 639 00:31:16,198 --> 00:31:19,543 at Clinton Correctional Facility in 2003, 640 00:31:19,627 --> 00:31:23,204 he's about to venture outside its perimeter wall. 641 00:31:23,289 --> 00:31:25,790 - David gets out of the steam pipe. 642 00:31:25,875 --> 00:31:28,051 He walks down a long tunnel 643 00:31:28,136 --> 00:31:31,722 that he realizes is underneath 644 00:31:31,881 --> 00:31:33,640 the streets above of Dannemora. 645 00:31:33,725 --> 00:31:35,550 At different points in the tunnel, 646 00:31:35,635 --> 00:31:38,896 he sees that there are different manholes. 647 00:31:38,980 --> 00:31:41,315 - He located a manhole cover, 648 00:31:41,474 --> 00:31:43,558 and he was able to go up 649 00:31:43,643 --> 00:31:46,478 the ladder from the sewer, prop the lid open. 650 00:31:46,562 --> 00:31:48,480 ♪ ♪ 651 00:31:48,564 --> 00:31:52,317 - He goes out of the manhole, he looks around, 652 00:31:52,401 --> 00:31:55,070 and he says to himself, "This is perfect." 653 00:31:55,154 --> 00:31:58,823 ♪ ♪ 654 00:31:58,917 --> 00:32:02,085 - David has made it outside the prison walls. 655 00:32:02,170 --> 00:32:05,589 He has successfully completed the escape route. 656 00:32:05,748 --> 00:32:09,000 He could leave right now if he wanted to, 657 00:32:09,085 --> 00:32:11,678 but Richard Matt isn't with him. 658 00:32:11,763 --> 00:32:16,424 - Friends is a very loosely used word 659 00:32:16,509 --> 00:32:21,271 because in prison friends really don't exist. 660 00:32:21,356 --> 00:32:24,191 I've seen people get stabbed in the neck 661 00:32:24,275 --> 00:32:27,027 by somebody they call friends 662 00:32:27,111 --> 00:32:29,696 - Will David betray his fellow inmate 663 00:32:29,855 --> 00:32:34,451 and leave him to rot on the inside while he goes free? 664 00:32:39,958 --> 00:32:43,785 [tense music] 665 00:32:43,869 --> 00:32:47,122 - After 109 nights of backbreaking work, 666 00:32:47,206 --> 00:32:49,791 David Sweat's made his way to the intersection 667 00:32:49,884 --> 00:32:53,136 of Barker Street and Bouck Street, 668 00:32:53,221 --> 00:32:59,300 130 yards outside the walls of the Dannemora prison. 669 00:32:59,385 --> 00:33:03,563 He wants to run and never look back, 670 00:33:03,648 --> 00:33:08,393 but his partner in this daring escape, Richard Matt, 671 00:33:08,477 --> 00:33:12,063 is still locked in his cell. 672 00:33:12,156 --> 00:33:15,575 Clock is ticking. 673 00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:17,911 - David could have escaped, 674 00:33:17,996 --> 00:33:19,904 but he didn't wanna leave Matt behind. 675 00:33:19,989 --> 00:33:22,574 They were in this together. 676 00:33:22,658 --> 00:33:26,086 - Dave and Richard Matt planned, plotted, 677 00:33:26,170 --> 00:33:28,246 and they kept their mouth shut. 678 00:33:28,330 --> 00:33:30,757 It was teamwork. That doesn't happen a lot. 679 00:33:30,916 --> 00:33:33,010 Doesn't happen a lot in prison. 680 00:33:33,169 --> 00:33:34,678 Not at all. 681 00:33:34,837 --> 00:33:37,172 - But it's not just Richard Matt 682 00:33:37,265 --> 00:33:38,840 that David Sweat is missing. 683 00:33:38,924 --> 00:33:41,176 He's also without his getaway driver, 684 00:33:41,260 --> 00:33:43,178 Joyce Mitchell. 685 00:33:43,262 --> 00:33:45,105 The only way to get her to show up 686 00:33:45,189 --> 00:33:48,358 is to rush back to his cell before the 5:30 count, 687 00:33:48,517 --> 00:33:51,111 tell Richard Matt that they are ready to go 688 00:33:51,195 --> 00:33:55,106 so they can tell Mitchell to be there the next night. 689 00:33:55,191 --> 00:33:57,609 - And he says, "Matt, Matt," you know, "wake up." 690 00:33:57,693 --> 00:34:00,954 And David takes a single stogey that he has. 691 00:34:01,113 --> 00:34:05,375 He has a mirror and he puts his mirror outside of the cell 692 00:34:05,460 --> 00:34:08,036 so that Matt on the other side can see him. 693 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,213 He can see his reflection. 694 00:34:10,298 --> 00:34:12,123 And Matt looks at David and he goes, 695 00:34:12,208 --> 00:34:14,217 "Oh, man, you did it? 696 00:34:14,376 --> 00:34:17,045 It's really here. It's really happening." 697 00:34:17,129 --> 00:34:18,880 And David said, "Yeah, we're ready. 698 00:34:18,964 --> 00:34:24,311 ♪ ♪ 699 00:34:24,395 --> 00:34:27,898 - Tonight will be the night. 700 00:34:27,982 --> 00:34:31,818 - From what Joyce tells me, that day he looked at her 701 00:34:31,903 --> 00:34:34,229 and he raised his fist in the air 702 00:34:34,322 --> 00:34:37,148 as if to say, "We've done it." 703 00:34:37,233 --> 00:34:40,318 And she knew in her heart that this was the signal. 704 00:34:40,402 --> 00:34:43,655 - Mitchell is to meet them at midnight with her SUV. 705 00:34:43,748 --> 00:34:47,826 Meanwhile, David prepares their getaway bags. 706 00:34:47,919 --> 00:34:50,829 - Civilian clothing, it's allowed by the state. 707 00:34:50,913 --> 00:34:54,999 So they could have a--like, a red hoodie or sweatpants. 708 00:34:55,084 --> 00:34:57,928 - They had granola bars, they had pepperoni, 709 00:34:58,012 --> 00:35:02,090 they had high-energy and low-weight food items. 710 00:35:02,174 --> 00:35:05,936 - The escape plan is all set. 711 00:35:06,095 --> 00:35:09,347 Now they just have to wait for go time. 712 00:35:09,431 --> 00:35:14,352 ♪ ♪ 713 00:35:14,445 --> 00:35:16,446 - Midnight staff will come into the block, 714 00:35:16,531 --> 00:35:21,693 they'll do their last master count for the day, 715 00:35:21,786 --> 00:35:25,789 and then shortly thereafter it's lights out. 716 00:35:25,873 --> 00:35:28,199 They went into action. 717 00:35:28,284 --> 00:35:30,293 They put the mannequins in their beds. 718 00:35:30,452 --> 00:35:32,963 They wrote their goodbye notes in their cells. 719 00:35:33,047 --> 00:35:34,548 - It's time. 720 00:35:34,632 --> 00:35:37,217 They exit the back of their cells, 721 00:35:37,376 --> 00:35:39,127 shimmy down the pipes, 722 00:35:39,220 --> 00:35:41,221 make it through the brick wall, 723 00:35:41,305 --> 00:35:44,132 and get to the cut steam pipe. 724 00:35:44,216 --> 00:35:48,562 David Sweat goes through just as he did the previous night. 725 00:35:48,721 --> 00:35:51,148 Now, for the first time, 726 00:35:51,232 --> 00:35:53,224 Richard Matt crawls into the pipe. 727 00:35:53,309 --> 00:35:56,477 - Matt starts his way through, 728 00:35:56,571 --> 00:35:58,813 but Matt is very claustrophobic. 729 00:35:58,898 --> 00:36:02,066 He is not someone that likes small spaces. 730 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,744 So as he's getting through he's already panicked, 731 00:36:04,829 --> 00:36:06,997 and then he gets stuck 732 00:36:07,081 --> 00:36:09,666 and he starts screaming for David to help, 733 00:36:09,750 --> 00:36:11,409 and David's trying to pull him up. 734 00:36:11,493 --> 00:36:13,244 It's not working. 735 00:36:13,329 --> 00:36:16,256 - Inmate Sweat would throw a bedsheet back to him 736 00:36:16,415 --> 00:36:20,251 and utilize the bed sheet to help pull him through the pipe 737 00:36:20,344 --> 00:36:23,180 because it was a pretty tight fit for inmate Matt 738 00:36:23,264 --> 00:36:28,843 - After a long struggle, Matt finally makes it through. 739 00:36:28,928 --> 00:36:34,024 ♪ ♪ 740 00:36:34,108 --> 00:36:36,267 - David popped his head out of the manhole, 741 00:36:36,352 --> 00:36:40,030 looked around, and didn't see her black Jeep. 742 00:36:40,114 --> 00:36:44,359 He goes back down and he says, "She's not here yet. 743 00:36:44,443 --> 00:36:45,952 Let's give her a few more minutes maybe." 744 00:36:46,037 --> 00:36:48,112 And Matt says, "Yeah, oh, she'll be here." 745 00:36:48,206 --> 00:36:50,281 So they wait. 746 00:36:50,366 --> 00:36:56,454 ♪ ♪ 747 00:36:56,538 --> 00:37:00,634 And then at midnight, David looks out of the hole again, 748 00:37:00,793 --> 00:37:02,469 No sign of Joyce. 749 00:37:02,553 --> 00:37:04,387 - So once inmates Matt and Sweat 750 00:37:04,546 --> 00:37:07,548 get out of the manhole, the question is 751 00:37:07,633 --> 00:37:09,634 where is Joyce? 752 00:37:09,727 --> 00:37:13,063 - What David Sweat and Richard Matt don't know 753 00:37:13,222 --> 00:37:16,724 is that Joyce Mitchell has cold feet. 754 00:37:16,809 --> 00:37:20,487 In fact, she has checked herself into the hospital 755 00:37:20,571 --> 00:37:22,981 for a panic attack. 756 00:37:23,065 --> 00:37:24,899 - Matt is baffled. 757 00:37:24,984 --> 00:37:28,578 He cannot believe Joyce has not shown up. 758 00:37:28,663 --> 00:37:32,165 And Matt says, "There's no way I'm going back to my cell. 759 00:37:32,324 --> 00:37:35,743 Let's get out of here." 760 00:37:35,828 --> 00:37:39,414 - Without a plan B and without a getaway car, 761 00:37:39,498 --> 00:37:42,175 they head for the surrounding mountains. 762 00:37:42,260 --> 00:37:45,086 Where they are headed is unknown. 763 00:37:45,170 --> 00:37:47,013 - There's no doubt in my mind that they were headed 764 00:37:47,172 --> 00:37:49,173 to Joyce Mitchell's house. 765 00:37:49,258 --> 00:37:51,259 Inmate Matt was quick to tell the people 766 00:37:51,352 --> 00:37:53,011 you don't wanna ever rat me out 767 00:37:53,095 --> 00:37:56,189 because I will not only get you but I'll get your family, 768 00:37:56,348 --> 00:37:59,859 I'll get your dog, and I'll get anything that you care about. 769 00:37:59,944 --> 00:38:03,530 And you will pay a hell of a price for doing me wrong. 770 00:38:03,614 --> 00:38:06,366 There's no doubt in my mind that inmate Matt 771 00:38:06,450 --> 00:38:10,445 had a score to settle with Joyce Mitchell. 772 00:38:10,538 --> 00:38:13,448 - They've escaped Dannemora. 773 00:38:13,541 --> 00:38:16,376 They have a five-hour head start, 774 00:38:16,460 --> 00:38:19,871 and now they have to escape a manhunt. 775 00:38:19,955 --> 00:38:21,464 ♪ ♪ 776 00:38:26,628 --> 00:38:28,388 - Just before midnight on June 5th, 2015, 777 00:38:28,472 --> 00:38:30,798 Richard Matt and David Sweat 778 00:38:30,883 --> 00:38:33,551 escaped Clinton Correctional Facility 779 00:38:33,635 --> 00:38:35,553 in Dannemora, New York. 780 00:38:35,637 --> 00:38:41,067 ♪ ♪ 781 00:38:41,152 --> 00:38:42,319 - Inmates Matt and Sweat 782 00:38:42,403 --> 00:38:45,229 were found missing at the standing headcount. 783 00:38:45,314 --> 00:38:48,816 - There's two holes in the cells in A Block. 784 00:38:48,909 --> 00:38:50,994 There are two inmates gone. 785 00:38:51,078 --> 00:38:53,079 Holy [bleep]. 786 00:38:53,164 --> 00:38:55,156 And then when they found the hole 787 00:38:55,249 --> 00:38:57,408 that went out through the pipe 788 00:38:57,493 --> 00:38:59,085 and then the manhole cover that was moved, 789 00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:02,005 they knew those guys are gone. 790 00:39:02,164 --> 00:39:03,840 Crazy. 791 00:39:03,999 --> 00:39:06,000 Crazy. 792 00:39:06,085 --> 00:39:08,753 - I automatically became the incident commander responsible 793 00:39:08,846 --> 00:39:11,348 for all operational search efforts in the area. 794 00:39:11,507 --> 00:39:14,601 They had quite a significant six-hour head start. 795 00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:16,353 Our plan was a massive 796 00:39:16,437 --> 00:39:18,763 immediate deployment of personnel, 797 00:39:18,856 --> 00:39:21,015 hundreds of troopers from around the state, 798 00:39:21,108 --> 00:39:25,269 mobile units from multiple agencies. 799 00:39:25,354 --> 00:39:27,447 - Hundreds of police, forest rangers and federal agents 800 00:39:27,531 --> 00:39:28,615 have been searching for the pair. 801 00:39:28,699 --> 00:39:30,200 - We're looking down on the Adirondacks. 802 00:39:30,284 --> 00:39:34,204 That's 6 million acres of trees and heavy woods. 803 00:39:34,363 --> 00:39:36,373 - They're out there miserable. They're hungry. 804 00:39:36,532 --> 00:39:37,949 And desperate people do desperate things. 805 00:39:38,033 --> 00:39:41,119 ♪ ♪ 806 00:39:41,212 --> 00:39:43,454 - The entire upstate region of New York State 807 00:39:43,547 --> 00:39:45,623 is in a panic 808 00:39:45,707 --> 00:39:48,292 that two dangerous murderers are on the loose. 809 00:39:48,377 --> 00:39:49,961 ♪ ♪ 810 00:39:50,045 --> 00:39:54,048 As the authorities search for David Sweat and Richard Matt, 811 00:39:54,141 --> 00:39:55,967 they are hiding out in the woods, 812 00:39:56,060 --> 00:39:59,470 breaking into unoccupied hunting cabins along the way. 813 00:39:59,555 --> 00:40:02,473 ♪ ♪ 814 00:40:02,558 --> 00:40:05,318 At some point, David Sweat and Richard Matt 815 00:40:05,403 --> 00:40:07,487 decide to split up. 816 00:40:07,571 --> 00:40:10,231 - I think David and my dad split 817 00:40:10,324 --> 00:40:12,400 because my father found alcohol. 818 00:40:12,484 --> 00:40:15,236 My dad definitely becomes a different person 819 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:17,238 when he's drinking or under the influence. 820 00:40:17,322 --> 00:40:20,667 That is when one of his more vicious personalities 821 00:40:20,826 --> 00:40:23,161 come out, absolutely. 822 00:40:23,254 --> 00:40:24,495 ♪ ♪ 823 00:40:24,580 --> 00:40:28,416 - On June 26th, 21 days since their escape, 824 00:40:28,500 --> 00:40:31,010 the authorities finally catch up with Richard Matt 825 00:40:31,170 --> 00:40:33,254 near a hunting cabin. 826 00:40:33,338 --> 00:40:36,266 - My father knew he was either going to get captured 827 00:40:36,350 --> 00:40:37,675 or that they were going to kill him. 828 00:40:37,768 --> 00:40:41,187 He knew this was the end, and he had a gun on him 829 00:40:41,346 --> 00:40:42,522 and he raised that gun 830 00:40:42,606 --> 00:40:45,775 and naturally the officers, doing their job, 831 00:40:45,860 --> 00:40:47,610 they had to fire, 832 00:40:47,769 --> 00:40:52,023 and come to find out that gun was empty. 833 00:40:52,116 --> 00:40:55,610 So my father knew that if he raised a gun, 834 00:40:55,694 --> 00:40:58,037 it was almost choosing death by cop. 835 00:40:58,122 --> 00:41:01,199 So it was almost his invitation for them to shoot. 836 00:41:01,283 --> 00:41:06,212 ♪ ♪ 837 00:41:06,297 --> 00:41:08,214 - Two days later, on June 28th, 838 00:41:08,299 --> 00:41:10,041 David Sweat is found 839 00:41:10,125 --> 00:41:13,211 by an officer near the Canadian border. 840 00:41:13,295 --> 00:41:14,545 David refuses to stop 841 00:41:14,630 --> 00:41:17,891 when the officer yells for him to surrender. 842 00:41:17,975 --> 00:41:21,478 - So he took careful aim and squeezed off one round. 843 00:41:21,637 --> 00:41:24,230 A bullet struck sweat in the upper torso. 844 00:41:24,315 --> 00:41:28,234 Sweat stumbled, but did not fall and kept running. 845 00:41:28,319 --> 00:41:30,737 Sergeant Cook squeezed off another round. 846 00:41:30,896 --> 00:41:33,981 The second round also hits Sweat in the upper torso. 847 00:41:34,066 --> 00:41:37,494 Backup was nearby and immediately entered the field, 848 00:41:37,653 --> 00:41:40,071 applying first aid and effectively saving 849 00:41:40,164 --> 00:41:43,908 David Sweat's life, ending the 23-day manhunt. 850 00:41:44,001 --> 00:41:46,827 ♪ ♪ 851 00:41:46,921 --> 00:41:49,923 - Through cunning, coercion, ingenuity, 852 00:41:50,007 --> 00:41:54,093 and hours of tedious work, Richard Matt and David sweat 853 00:41:54,178 --> 00:41:58,014 managed to do what no one believed possible. 854 00:41:58,173 --> 00:42:03,019 They escaped the confines of these walls, 855 00:42:03,103 --> 00:42:06,681 but the chain of events that made their escape possible 856 00:42:06,774 --> 00:42:09,767 was only as strong as its weakest link. 857 00:42:09,851 --> 00:42:12,520 When Joyce Mitchell failed to pick them up on the night 858 00:42:12,604 --> 00:42:18,201 of June 6th, 2015, their fate was sealed. 859 00:42:18,285 --> 00:42:20,537 The 23-day manhunt that ensued 860 00:42:20,696 --> 00:42:24,541 cost New York State over $23 million. 861 00:42:24,625 --> 00:42:27,868 Joyce pleaded guilty to promoting prison contraband 862 00:42:27,953 --> 00:42:29,963 and criminal facilitation. 863 00:42:30,122 --> 00:42:32,715 She was fined $86,000 864 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:36,043 and served more than four years in prison. 865 00:42:36,128 --> 00:42:38,296 Corrections officer Gene Palmer 866 00:42:38,389 --> 00:42:41,224 pleaded guilty to promoting prison contraband 867 00:42:41,383 --> 00:42:43,801 was sentenced to six months in jail 868 00:42:43,885 --> 00:42:47,471 and fined $5,000. 869 00:42:47,556 --> 00:42:50,650 Richard Matt's determination not to die in jail 870 00:42:50,734 --> 00:42:52,977 cost him his life, 871 00:42:53,070 --> 00:42:55,229 and David Sweat, 872 00:42:55,314 --> 00:42:58,157 he's still serving his life sentence, 873 00:42:58,317 --> 00:43:03,246 but now he's moved from prison to prison every few years 874 00:43:03,330 --> 00:43:08,710 as they often find him planning his next escape.