Armed with bits of toothbrush, two American prisoners managed to create a hole in a wall, escape from prison and walk several kilometers to a pancake restaurant where they were captured, announced Tuesday March 21 the local police.
Guards at Newport News prison in Virginia, in the eastern United States, were surprised to find John Garza, 37, and Arley Nemo, 43, missing on Monday March 20 at around 7:15 p.m. authorities said in a statement.
A Hole in the Jail
The prisoners managed to exploit "
a loophole
" in the structure of the prison building, using tools created from a toothbrush and a metal object to dislodge loose fittings in a wall, said the police.
They thus succeeded in forming a hole through which they slipped and then climbed the enclosure of the prison.
The run, however, was short-lived.
After walking several miles, the two fugitives reached an International House of Pancakes (IHOP) chain pancake restaurant in nearby Hampton where they were captured Tuesday morning, police said.
The two captured inmates, John Garza (left) and Arley Nemo (right).
Image published by the Newport News Sheriff's Office, March 21, 2023. HANDOUT / AFP
"
I thank the citizens who saw Garza and Nemo in the IHOP and notified law enforcement
," Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan said in the statement.
John Garza was in detention in particular for violation of his probationary period and Arley Nemo for bank card fraud, forgery and use of forgery, theft and concealment of stolen property.
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