As was the escape of murderer Robert Garrow from Fishkill. When he was initially captured in the Adirondacks, he had been shot by a Conservation Police Officer. He claimed paralysis, although doctors didn't believe him. Garrow repeatedly asked to be transferred to the hospital unit at Fishkill, which was a medium-security facility. He sued the State for his paralysis, but when the State offered him the transfer to Fishkill, he dropped the suit. He escaped from Fishkill in '78, his son having brought in a pistol piece-by-piece in buckets of KFC on visits. At least that's the way the story was told to me. I was an officer at Auburn in the early 80's, and the son was doing time for the crime there. Garrow was shot and killed not far from the Fishkill facility.
Another escapee from NY State prison custody was Winston Moseley. He killed Kitty Genovese. He was at Auburn too when I worked there. So was Ronnie DeFeo (Amityville murders) and Buddy Jacobson, horse trainer/murderer. I could never say I had a boring job.
Were you at Auburn when they put (preppy killer) Robert Chambers in there?
... and you got to eat at Balloons!