Armed with pieces of toothbrush, two American inmates managed to punch a hole in a wall, escaped from prison and walked several miles to a pancake restaurant where they were arrested, police said on Tuesday.
Guards at the Newport News Jail Annex in Virginia in the eastern United States were surprised to find John Garza, 37, and Arley Nemo, 43, missing around 7:15 p.m. Monday, authorities said in a statement.
The prisoners managed to exploit “a gap” in the prison building’s structure by using tools consisting of a toothbrush and a metal object to loosen loose hardware in a wall, police said.
So they managed to form a hole through which they slipped and then scaled the prison fence.
However, the run was short-lived. After walking several miles, the two fugitives arrived at an International House of Pancakes (IHOP) pancake restaurant in nearby Hampton, where they were arrested Tuesday morning, police said.
“Thank you to the citizens who saw Garza and Nemo at the IHOP and notified law enforcement,” Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan said in the statement.
Mr Garza was jailed in particular for violating his probationary period and Mr Nemo for bank card fraud, forgery and use of forgeries, theft and concealment of stolen property.