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.

An inmate escaped custody over the weekend in North Carolina, apparently fleeing a county jail through the building's ventilation system, authorities said.

Authorities say the man's cellmates helped him escape and then stuffed a mattress to make it look like he was still sleeping.