On Sunday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m., officers at the Craven County Jail in New Bern, NC, had discovered that an inmate had managed to escape via the jail’s ventilation system.

It was revealed that John Matthew Nigh, who was being held for attempted murder charges, escaped through a ceiling grate with the assistance of his two cellmates. The cellmates even stuffed Nigh’s mattress in an attempt to conceal his escape. 

Authorities have described Nigh as being “highly dangerous” and have been known to be “armed in past encounters with law enforcement.”