An inmate escaped from a North Carolina jail through a ventilation system while his cellmates stuffed a mattress to make it seem like he was asleep, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

Officials in North Carolina are searching for escaped inmate John Matthew Nigh who has been on the run for a few days.

John Matthew Nigh, 37, escaped through the Craven County jail in North Carolina, US, through a ventilation system - a method not dissimilar to that of Andy Dufresne's in the hit movie The Shawshank Re

The Craven County Sheriff's Office said John Matthew Nigh was discovered missing from his cell at 4 p.m. Sunday, and that his cellmates helped conceal his escape.