DHAKA: A homeless man from San Francisco is to be given a reward of $100,000 for helping police recapture two prison inmates who had escaped.

Matthew Hay-Chapman had seen photographs of the two fugitives on the news and spotted them in a stolen van.

They had broken out of Orange County Jail six days earlier, sparking a state-wide manhunt.

The full $150,000 reward was split between four people, with Hay Chapman getting the largest share, reports the BBC.

Two employees of the Target supermarket will each receive $15,000 for alerting officials after surveillance footage showed two men acting suspiciously, officials said.

A Los Angeles man, whose van was stolen by the fugitives, will receive $20,000.

He had advertised the vehicle on Craigslist and called the police to report a man who had not returned after a test drive.

Hay-Chapman spotted the fugitives in the stolen van next to a market in San Francisco and alerted officers in the area.

Two of the inmates, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu, were captured there. The third, Bac Duong, had surrendered a day earlier.

A cab driver who was held hostage for a week by the three men will not receive any of the reward money.

BDST: 1430 HRS, MAR 16, 2016
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