The World's Craziest Prison Escapes

TL;DR

Ten real prisoners escaped using tunnels, helicopters, disguises, and even a kangaroo suit.

Key Points

• 1.El Chapo tunneled nearly a mile under Mexico's most secure prison using electric lights, air ducts, and a rail-mounted motorcycle — with suspected help from someone who had access to prison blueprints.
• 2.Yoshie Shiratori (Japan, 1942) corroded his custom handcuffs over 2 years using miso soup salt, then dislocated his shoulders to squeeze through a food slot and escape into the mountains.
• 3.Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers (Alcatraz, 1962) spent 6 months drilling through vents with a vacuum motor, built a raft from 50 raincoats, and launched into San Francisco Bay at 11:40 p.m.
• 4.Clauvino Silva (Rio de Janeiro) disguised himself as his 19-year-old daughter using a silicone mask, wig, and bra — and nearly walked out of prison before guards noticed his hands were too large.
• 5.Lucy Dudko hijacked a helicopter at gunpoint and landed it inside Silverwater Prison's exercise yard to rescue John Kik; they fled for 45 days across two Australian states before being caught.
• 6.George Billy Hunt (1840s Australia) skinned a kangaroo and wore its hide to hop past guards — until a bored, hungry guard raised his rifle, forcing Hunt to reveal himself and earning him 150 lashes.