It was the second escape in a week from Rikers Island, bringing the number of escapees this year to eight in four separate incidents, compared with none in 1986 and 1985. 2016 A mentally ill inmate escaped the correction facility by breaking open a fire exit with his body. Some 'Disciplinary Charges'. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Cut Out Window Panes. Aviation and Harbor units continue to search for the second inmate. The inmate, Jeffrey Hardy of Roosevelt was walking to the mess hall from the jail annex with 43 other inmates supervised by two guards when he escaped, said Sheriff Joseph J. Santacroce. Three of the inmates were found on the island and two were found in the east River, Ralph Gardner, a spokesman for the New York City Correction Department said at the time. Officers eventually apprehended him a short while after. Ms. Ryles said regulations called for a night patrol of the hospital ward every hour but ''apparently that was not the case'' during the 11-to-7 patrol's tour of duty. So far this year, there have been 8 escapes - and 12 escapees - from all of the city's jail centers, Ms. Ryles said. Ms. Ryles said the escapees had used a hacksaw blade to cut out three of the six panes in a sealed but unbarred window on the fifth-floor hospital ward occupied by 19 inmates. Mr. Lupo managed to ''free himself of handcuffs,'' Ms. Ryles said. The correction officer, Jose Perez, was suspended for ''failing to properly inspect the area where the two men were housed,'' Ms. Ryles said. They were captured about 6:45 A.M. yesterday when a German shepherd from the K-9 unit found them hiding in high grass in the prison yard, she said. 1977: One of the most high-profile jail break attempts came in 1977 when 39 inmates simultaneously attempted to flee the jail. He drowned when attempting to escape Rikers Island prison in 1980. He drowned when attempting to escape Rikers Island prison in 1980. Rikers Island holds 11,000 inmates and the city's entire jail system holds 15,148 prisoners. He was subsequently charged in two other assaults committed in Central Booking at the Manhattan criminal courthouse on May 9 and May 11, 2019. The accused cop basher who made a dramatic escape attempt from Rikers Island last week pulled the same stunt Sunday morning -- this time eking out … As he finally tried to make a break for the water, he was spotted by a pair of correction officers and tackled to the ground. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 21. The inmates were identified as Darren Ruffin, 21 years old, of 39 Argyle Road in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, and Michael Jackson, 24 years old, of 48 East 29th Street in Manhattan.