×
all 101 comments

[–]TheDeltaLambda 1028 points1029 points  (27 children)

This entire escape is fascinating to me. They managed to make a drill out of a vacuum cleaner to drill out the wall behind the vent, where there was an unguarded service corridor. They disguised the sound of the drilling by only drilling during the music hour. Once they were through, they set up a work bench with the remaining tools that they'd smuggled out of the shop.

They covered up the hole behind the vent with cardboard and paint, and made a raft and lifejackets out of raincoats. Basically, the amount of shit they were able to get away with is astounding, to say the least.

[–]ex_oh_ex_oh 296 points297 points  (0 children)

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention

[–]Upnawf 232 points233 points  (22 children)

All that just to die of hypothermia

[–]TheDeltaLambda 289 points290 points  (17 children)

I think it's possible that they could have made it out alive, but most of the sightings, postcards, and phone calls were almost definitely pranks or hoaxes.

They likely did die a horrible death, though. Drowning in cold, dark water is my biggest fear.

[–]wicknest 95 points96 points  (15 children)

They didn't find any bodies though. If they died from hypothermia, wouldn't they have been found somewhere in the water?

I guess not. I knew someone that disappeared while swimming in the ocean early in the morning. Search parties never found anything.

[–]HonestyFTW 140 points141 points  (5 children)

The San Francisco bay is a giant bathtub and is mostly shallow. There are strong currents with the tides that will suck you out very easily.

[–]mkultra0420 131 points132 points  (2 children)

Freezing waters and deadly currents don’t exactly make me think “bathtub”.

[–]royisabau5 56 points57 points  (1 child)

You don’t have an ice jacuzzi? Loser

[–]SozSurt 20 points21 points  (0 children)

TFW you ask for a nice jacuzzi, and they sell you an ice jacuzzi.

[–]dingman58 25 points26 points  (1 child)

Also, sharks

[–]chizzbee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fucking sharks...

[–]L1ttl3J1m 20 points21 points  (1 child)

We've got a whole swimming pool named after a prime minister that happened to.

[–]JohnGenericDoe 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Plus he's immortalised in rhyming slang for 'doing a bolt.'

[–]CentaurOfPower 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A cargo ship did report seeing what they described as a body, but didn’t report it until several days later

[–]fatboyroy -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

nope, they ded

[–]ofthedappersort 11 points12 points  (3 children)

To die free

[–]Upnawf 0 points1 point  (2 children)

They have life sentences or nah? At work not gonna google

[–]ofthedappersort 8 points9 points  (1 child)

idk but even if it was 10 years. You wanna wait in a cage or try to get out?

[–]Upnawf 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I’ll take the waiting tbh that raft was a long shot

[–]sebwiers 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Prisons used to rely a great deal on convict labor to operate. Partly because there were fewer prisoners, so the budget was smaller, making it hard to fill a lot of the "day to day operations" jobs any other way. And partly because it was considered rehabilitation.

[–]-ThisTooShallPass 0 points1 point  (1 child)

All I read here are tons of oversights in Alcatraz!

[–]TheDeltaLambda 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It was about as secure as a prison could possibly be in 1962. The escape took 6 months to plan and execute, and once they were into the service corridors they could work with little to no risk of being discovered. Plus, all of the things they managed to steal were relatively small things that were easy to conceal. The raincoats and paint cans were probably the hardest to hide.

[–]paintsmith 96 points97 points  (5 children)

Is this what it looked like when it was found or has it deteriorated into this condition? Either way it's surprisingly well made.

[–]pixeldustnz[S] 52 points53 points  (4 children)

This photo is fairly recent, you can see more here (sorry the site is cancer, but it has the best collection of photos)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4769236/Dummy-heads-used-Alcatraz-breakout-3D-scanned.html

[–]SimpleCyclist 82 points83 points  (0 children)

The broken nose resulted when the head rolled off the bed and struck the floor after a guard reached through the bars and pushed it.

I bet he shit himself!

[–]paintsmith 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Love that they only bothered to sculpt one side of the head. Very efficient. Thanks!

[–]steviebwoy 18 points19 points  (1 child)

Man, call me sensitive, but can people please stop using "cancer" as a descriptive word. It's fucking weird and plain wrong.

[–]CrispLinens 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It always makes me feel unconsciously bad when I read it too. Considering how many of our loved ones die that way it's bound to invoke negative emotions.

[–]Alex_Nugget 396 points397 points  (7 children)

Why does it look exactly like Mark Zuckerberg

[–]Kapibaro 161 points162 points  (1 child)

That kind of face is really easy to make. That's why it was used for persona of Mark Zuckerberg.

[–]yaipu 10 points11 points  (0 children)

They are smart

[–]TwoAndHalfRetard 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Because aliens created him using the same ingredients as those prisoners

[–]plasmarob 23 points24 points  (0 children)

IT'S NOT JUST ME omg you beat me to it,

I hadn't scrolled low enough to see your comment even subconsciously.

Something strange here folks.

[–]willflameboy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Has anyone checked on him recently?

[–]Slappinbeehives 8 points9 points  (0 children)

He’s goes by Mark Zalcatraz now.

[–]OfflandTrader 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol, exactly!

[–]djwishuwur 128 points129 points  (26 children)

Where is this today?

[–]pixeldustnz[S] 199 points200 points  (22 children)

Looks like they may still be with the FBI as evidence as the case is still open I believe.

Edit: FBI site says closed by them but still open with the US Marshalls Service

[–]_Pornosonic_ 62 points63 points  (21 children)

What does it mean its still open? Like, are they actively trying to find those guys? And what if the find them, they should be 70 or so, would they put them back to prison.

[–]pixeldustnz[S] 109 points110 points  (5 children)

From wikipedia:

"The FBI closed its file on December 31, 1979, after a 17-year investigation.[7] Their official finding was that the prisoners most likely drowned in the cold waters of the bay while attempting to reach Angel Island, it being unlikely that they made it the 1.25 miles to shore due to the strong ocean currents and the cold sea water temperatures ranging between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. They believe the remnants of the raft and the wallet wrapped in plastic containing personal effects of the Anglins, was indicative that the raft had broken up and sank after being launched from Alcatraz, and that the three convicts had tried to swim for it, before succumbing to hypothermia, and their bodies were swept out to sea by the strong current in San Francisco Bay.[2][3][5][11] The U.S. Marshals Service investigation remains open, however. As Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael Dyke told NPR in 2009: "There's an active warrant, and the Marshals Service doesn't give up looking for people."[49] Dyke also pointed out that the bodies of two out of every three people who go missing in San Francisco Bay are eventually recovered.[34]"

[–]Dickwagger 55 points56 points  (4 children)

Not true! One of them became the mayor of Carmel, California. In fact, he’s been a prolific movie actor and director for many years now....

[–]Pinoth 24 points25 points  (3 children)

Clint Eastwood?

[–]broberds 2 points3 points  (1 child)

What kinda stupid name is that??

[–]karlverkade 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dance, runt!

[–]gmoses0307 25 points26 points  (1 child)

If caught yes, that would need to see out the remainder of their sentence and also additional time for escaping, if they are even alive at this point

[–]nomofica 16 points17 points  (0 children)

They'd all be in their late 80s to mid 90s at this point. Assuming they survived the frigid waters during the escape, it's very likely they've all since died.

[–]eamonator518 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah i agree, what is the protocol there i wonder?

[–]jankdanker77 -2 points-1 points  (11 children)

I don't think age should excuse anyone for their crimes. For example Mossad and others hunted down old Nazis who tried to escape their past and I think its totally justified.

[–]Convergentshave 30 points31 points  (1 child)

Does this have to be so black and white? I mean it doesn’t take a huge amount of common sense to look at the crime and be like ok yea that one, regardless of your age, we don’t let you go. But.... maybe... that doesn’t have to be the case for every Crime?

[–]DEEP_SEA_MAX 17 points18 points  (0 children)

DEATH TO JAY WALKERS!!

[–]Mapleleaves_ 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah I think it’s important that criminals, especially war criminals, should know that they cannot escape their crimes despite the passage of time. For example, a Nazi can’t just move to South America and think a few decades excuses them.

[–]zeissikon 14 points15 points  (3 children)

The general de Gaulle commuted death sentences or pardoned all of those who chose the Axis side because they wanted adventure or were misled, and actually fought against the Allies. He made sure that the greedy or the sadistic were punished.

[–]carl0071 9 points10 points  (0 children)

That’s a good point. As with civilians, there are both good and bad people. If a soldier shoots the enemy and kills him, that’s war. But if a group of soldiers conspire to kidnap, torture and kill an enemy soldier simply because he fights for the other side, that is sadistic and should be punished.

[–]qagg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In most cases when a regime is overthrown you can’t just get rid of all its supporters, they are the people who know how to run the country after all. Also they are easily kept under control because at any time you can dig up dirt about their past.

[–]GenjiBear -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The helpers of oppressors are themselves oppressors.

Their intention doesn’t mean shit. Hitler believed he had the best of intentions too - furthering humanity.

[–]GenjiBear 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mossad’s actions were vigilantism and a snub to the sovereignty of nation states.

You don’t fight injustice with more injustice like a barbarian.

[–]Niggn 0 points1 point  (1 child)

yeah fuck mossad

they also kill innocent people in foreign countries. vigilante justice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillehammer_affair

[–]WikiTextBot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lillehammer affair

The Lillehammer affair (Hebrew: פרשת לילהאמר, Parshat Lillehammer, Norwegian: Lillehammer-saken) was the killing by Mossad agents of Ahmed Bouchikhi, a Moroccan waiter and brother of the renowned musician Chico Bouchikhi, in Lillehammer, Norway, on 21 July 1973. The Israeli agents had mistaken their target for Ali Hassan Salameh, the chief of operations for Black September. Six of the Mossad team of fifteen were captured and convicted of complicity in the killing by the Norwegian justice system, in a major blow to the intelligence agency's reputation.


[ PM | Exclude me | Exclude from subreddit | FAQ / Information | Source ] Downvote to remove | v0.28

[–]parplayaz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Probably at home looking at his facebook stocks fluctuate. Sometimes the wife gets a little creeped out on him, but really, arent all marriages like this toward the end anyways?

[–]greenwhiskerz 1 point2 points  (1 child)

You can see at least one of the heads on a tour of Alcatraz.

[–]djwishuwur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I remeber my Dad was fascinated by this story. Id love to see it.

[–]refixul 36 points37 points  (1 child)

How did they colored the thing?

I mean, toothpaste is generally white, soap too, toilet paper too, and concrete is just gray...

[–]ahappyasian 25 points26 points  (0 children)

The article linked in the comments mentions paint from the maintenance room.

[–]youni89 37 points38 points  (3 children)

How did they make the hair? Or is the hair real

[–]TheDeltaLambda 82 points83 points  (0 children)

Hair was made with real hair from the barbershop. Either one of the escapees worked there, or he had a friend who did

[–]Redheadmistress 20 points21 points  (0 children)

One of the escapees worked at the barber shop and would save the hair in his pants cuffs to get it back to his cell.

[–]DrinkyRodriguez 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Probably real

[–]Cmiles53 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Escape from Alcatraz is an amazing movie that pretty much shows everything that went into the escape, well worth a watch.

[–]JoshAndStuff 17 points18 points  (0 children)

zucc

[–]burgeoningboysclub 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Good ole American ingenuity!

[–]juliusneaser 4 points5 points  (1 child)

Did he fucking sign it ?

[–]SimondeHunt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah looks like it. Or is it the signature of a detective when putting it away as evidence?

[–]BigMigglet 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Is there a movie about this?

[–]Gecoosta 23 points24 points  (1 child)

Yeah, 'Escape from Alcatraz' with Clint Eastwood

[–]BigMigglet 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Oh.. I thought that was just a “fictional” movie. Shit i need to watch it now. I’ve been on a Dirty Harry binge all this week! Thank you for the reply!

[–]eyeswideshutt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Truly work of Art

[–]spadelover 1 point2 points  (2 children)

What's written under the ear?

[–]pixeldustnz[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

The name of the man whose bed in was in plus the date (6/12/62) of the escape

Edit: I could be wrong about the name, I'll try to find a higher res photo

[–]spadelover 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. Would have been cool if it was a message like "C'ya later"

[–]jarxpod 3 points4 points  (1 child)

r/accidentalarresteddevelopment

[–]karlverkade 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why I oughta shave your head and make you sit under that camera all night, mister.

[–]SimondeHunt 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Did he sign it?!

[–]pixeldustnz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I assume those were added by the FBI to mark the evidence

[–]haptiK 2 points3 points  (2 children)

I wonder what it tastes like

[–]schwatech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They really missed their calling

[–]Twitch__20 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Did the maker sign and date that himself 😂 or is that after the fact because thats like the cherry on top roght there lol

[–]pixeldustnz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd say it was marked by the FBI but I could be wrong

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just watched a documentary on this today. scary

[–]gunther_41 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did...did one of them sign themselves under the ear? Or is that a way to catalog evidence? because that would be a bad way to catalog it...

[–]helgi-hundingsbane -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Looks like Zuckerberg

[–]av64 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Necessity is the mother of invention

[–]mapatric -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Anyone who successfully escapes prison and c avoids recapture for say a year should have their conviction overturned. But if they ever get convicted of anything again, auto execute.

[–]RockinEddie -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Disgusting