LINDLEY, NY -- On Saturday the manhunt for David Sweat and Richard Matt shifted south and west to the Southern Tier of New York.
Saturday afternoon police converged in Allegany County near the town of Friendship, after reports that people thought they saw the fugitives there. The searching continued Sunday in wooded areas along I-86. In some spots police set up checkpoints.
A smaller search also took place Saturday in Steuben County, along the Tioga River and nearby railroad tracks, following several reported spottings of the escapees.
One reported sighting was on June 13 near a rail yard in Erwin. A day later there was a report of two men walking in along Route 115 Lindley, just two miles from the state line.
The pastor of the Lindley Community Church lives just steps from Route 115 and is pretty surprised to find his quiet corner of the world in the spotlight.
"Route 15 is a main route for getting south, so if they were heading south, it is logical, they would do that, but from where they started, this is a long way from that," said Pastor Ron Head, Lindley Community Church.
His wife Norma says she has been getting calls from all over the country.
"We were just talking about if they stopped and asked for food what we would do," said Norma.
One of the two fugitives, David Sweat, has roots in Windsor, NY, which is also close to the PA state line with Susquehanna County. He is accused of gunning down Kevin Tarsia on July 4th, 2002.
The Broome County sheriff's deputy confronted Sweat and two other men in a park after they used a stolen truck to smash into Mess's store in Great Bend and stole a number of weapons.
Folks in Bradford County, PA say it would be easy for someone to slip across the state line unnoticed.
"It would be pretty easy for them to hide out in these hills and make a move," said Dave Owen of Waverly, NY. "I hope they catch them, I hope they catch them quick."
One couple says they will be on the lookout.
"Thought they would be in Mexico or Canada by now. How would you get to Mexico without passing through some place like this," said Don Smith of Rome.
Police are also looking at security video from Corning that may show the fugitives were there.
Newswatch 16 spoke with people who wondered why they only heard about these sightings that happened last weekend.
A spokesperson for the New York State Police says the agency actually did not learn about the tips until Tuesday.