Multiple Maine law enforcement agencies are searching for two male youths who officials say escaped from the Long Creek Youth Development Center, Maine’s only youth prison, and fled the area in a stolen vehicle Friday night.

The two suspects, who the Maine Department of Corrections said cannot be identified “due to confidentiality laws,” were last seen in Biddeford around 10:30 p.m., according to a statement released by department spokesperson Samuel Prawer.

Prawer confirmed that the youths escaped the facility in South Portland around 7:30 p.m. Friday. It’s the second attempted breakout at Long Creek this year amid turmoil at the facility.

Minutes after South Portland police responded to the escape, officers received a separate report of a “strong-armed” robbery nearby in a parking lot at 10 Liberty Lane.

The two suspects allegedly stole a white Honda Civic and fled the scene in it. Police said the suspects threatened a victim with a firearm, though no weapon was actually seen.

South Portland police said in an update Saturday that the vehicle has been found but the youths are still at large.

Prawer said the Department of Corrections is working with federal, state and local law enforcement to find the suspects. South Portland police have issued warrants for robbery, theft and assault.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the South Portland Police Department at 207-874-8575.

In a statement Saturday, Prawer said department is “launching a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape.”

The incident comes about six months after an attempted escape from Long Creek, and amid reports of staffing shortages, unsafe working conditions for employees and quality-of-life issues for the facility’s young residents.

In late January, nine boys armed with makeshift weapons tried to break out of Long Creek, but they did not make it out of the fenced-in grounds. No one was injured in that incident, police said.

Days later, Long Creek staff sent a letter to the Maine Department of Corrections, calling the staffing situation at the facility a “crisis.”

There were 156 instances of violence – including fights and assaults on workers – at the facility in the latter half of 2023, and staff members said in the letter that labor shortages have left them underequipped to handle the challenges. They said scheduling issues, declining recruitment and retention, and unsafe working conditions and unsuitable schedules have led to the shortages.

In February, a group of criminal defense lawyers representing youths at Long Creek said that frequent incidences of property damage have led to 23-hour lockdowns in the facility and limited the lawyers’ ability to help their clients.

In May, Ryan Andersen was appointed superintendent of the facility; his promotion from deputy superintendent came two months after the previous superintendent, Lynne Allen, resigned her position after two years in the role, citing undisclosed personal reasons. Andersen is the fourth person to lead the facility in seven years.