Once the cement block between the cells was removed , they smashed the block and hid the pieces in a footlocker . According to police , Blunt , who is 5 feet 10 inches and weighs 210 pounds , squeezed into Espinosa 's cell through an approximately 16 - to 18-inch hole . The two inmates wiggled through another 18-inch hole in the outer wall . From a roof landing , the two men `` took a running jump or they were standing and they jumped approximately 15 feet out and about 30 feet down , '' Romankow said . Then they jumped a razor-wire fence onto a New Jersey transit railroad bed to freedom , police said . Authorities found two sets of footprints in the snow heading in opposite directions . At a news conference Monday , Romankow read the note that was found in Espinosa 's cell , saying it represented the `` arrogance of these two men . '' `` Thank you officer -------- for the tools needed , you 're a real pal , Happy Holidays , '' the note read , with a smiley face drawn next to it . Authorities are investigating the
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two inmates at New Jersey 's Union County Jail made a movie-style escape Saturday and remained at large Monday , according to Union County Prosecutor Ted Romankow . Otis Blunt , left , and Jose Espinosa escaped from the Union County Jail Saturday night , officials say . Twenty-year-old Jose Espinosa and 32-year-old Otis Blunt , who are considered armed and dangerous , were discovered missing from their cells at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday , Romankow said . The men left behind dummies in their beds , cinder block dust and a note wishing authorities `` Happy Holidays . '' Espinosa , who recently pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter , was to be sentenced on January 25 and faced a minimum of 17 years in prison . Blunt was being held in lieu of $ 75,000 bond on weapon and robbery charges . Both men were being housed in the high security area of the multilevel jail , Romankow said . Police said Espinosa and Blunt were in adjacent cells and used a long metal wire to scrape away mortar around the cinder block between their cells and the outer wall in Espinosa 's cell .