Authorities in Florida are searching for a man who ran from a room at a nursing home early Sunday after a 95-year-old resident was found dead, smothered in the residence.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department said in a news release posted to Facebook that dispatchers received a call around 12:11 a.m. from the Tiffany Hall Nursing and Rehabilitation Center from someone reporting that a patient was "being hurt" by an unknown suspect.

A nurse had walked past a male patient's room and saw an unknown male suspect sitting on top of the 95-year-old's chest, holding a pillow over his face, according to police.

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"The nurse immediately called for help as she yelled for another nurse to call 9-1-1," police said.

The male suspect then immediately took off running and fled the facility as police were called to the scene.

Police set up a perimeter and searched for the man, bringing in K-9 and aerial units, but they were unable to locate the man.

Residents in the area said the neighborhood is usually "pretty quiet at night," and were surprised to see police helicopters hovering overhead.

"There was literally police every stop sign and there was a helicopter up for probably a good hour," Dale Norman told CBS12.

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Authorities did not have a detailed description of the suspect, and did not release the name of the victim.

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Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Port St. Lucie Police Department at 772-871-5001 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-TIPS.