A man with a rap sheet for robbery and escape dating back more than 25 years sneaked out of Schenectady County Jail on Tuesday night, apparently crawling through wire in the recreation yard, authorities said.

Edwin Ortiz, 40, who broke out of a Pennsylvania prison more than 20 years ago, went to the recreation yard at about 6 p.m. with other prisoners. Initially, he was reported back on his tier after the recreation period was over. But at 7:15 p.m., a correction officer couldn't find him, Sheriff Harry Buffardi said.

"We immediately went into lockdown and began checking every place inside the facility," Buffardi said. "We spent three hours checking inside, then checked outside. That's where we found a breach in the recreation yard fence."

The sheriff described the breach as an area where the wire was pulled away from a gate. While the department called neighboring police agencies, a general alarm wasn't put out until just after 10 p.m. when it was clear Ortiz was not in the jail.
Ortiz, who once allegedly threatened to shoot a police officer, was last seen wearing an orange, jail-issued jump suit and sneakers. Buffardi, however, said Ortiz could find other clothes in places like Dumpsters, clothes lines or laundry businesses, as well as stealing them from a homeless person.