The Alcatraz Escape: America's Most Famous Prison Break

On the night of June 11, 1962, three inmates—Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin—executed one of the most daring prison escapes in American history from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.

THE PLANNING: The escape took months of meticulous planning. The inmates used sharpened spoons and a drill improvised from a vacuum cleaner motor to widen ventilation grates in their cells. They worked primarily at night when other inmates played musical instruments to mask the sound.

THE EXECUTION: The trio created dummy heads from soap, toilet paper, and real hair collected from the prison barbershop. These decoys were placed in their beds to fool guards during nighttime checks. They climbed through the widened vents, made their way to the roof, and descended to the shore.

Using raincoats stolen from the prison, they constructed a makeshift raft and life vests. They inflated these using a modified accordion-like instrument.

THE EVIDENCE: The FBI investigation revealed:

• Paddle remnants found on Angel Island
• Personal effects discovered in the bay
• No bodies were ever recovered
• The water temperature was 50-54°F that night
• Strong currents could have swept them miles away

THE AFTERMATH: The FBI officially closed the case in 1979, declaring the men drowned. However, a 2013 letter allegedly from John Anglin claimed all three survived. The U.S. Marshals Service maintains the case as open and continues to investigate leads.

Prison officials immediately tightened security protocols. Alcatraz closed as a federal penitentiary in 1963, partly due to the escape exposing security vulnerabilities and the facility's deteriorating condition.

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