Additional Coverage:
New Bern, NC – A manhunt is underway for an inmate who escaped the Craven County Jail Sunday afternoon. Authorities consider him dangerous and possibly armed.
John Matthew Nigh, 37, escaped through the jail’s ventilation system. He was awaiting trial on attempted murder charges.
Detention officers discovered Nigh missing from his cell around 4 p.m. Investigators believe his cellmates helped him escape and then disguised his absence.
According to the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the inmates removed a ceiling grate, crawled through a utility chase, and exited through a vent on the roof. The cellmates reportedly stuffed a mattress in Nigh’s bed to make it appear he was asleep.
The Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service are pursuing leads on Nigh’s whereabouts. The Sheriff’s Office is also launching an internal investigation into the escape and plans to address security vulnerabilities at the jail.
Nigh is considered dangerous and has a history of being armed during confrontations with law enforcement. He was arrested in June 2024 after allegedly shooting at deputies in Onslow County. No one was injured in that incident.
Nigh faces multiple charges, including attempted first-degree murder and assault on a law enforcement officer. He is described as 6 feet, 2 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, with a cross tattoo on his upper right arm and the letters “JMN” on his upper left arm.