BEST OF 2025: Three Men Escaped Alcatraz, Evaded the FBI, and Lived Secret Lives

Alcatraz has long been considered America's most secure and inescapable prison, with a reputation built on stringent security measures and its perilous bay location.

Alcatraz: America's Most Secure and Inescapable Prison

Alcatraz was known for its comprehensive security protocols that were designed to deter any thoughts of escape. The prison enforced 12 official headcounts each day and maintained constant surveillance. The cells were fitted with tool-proof bars and automatic locks. Hidden microphones captured every sound, adding to the pervasive sense of being watched.

Prisoners endured rigorous daily routines that included passing through at least eight metal detectors. In the event of a riot, the cafeteria was equipped with canisters of tear gas on standby, ready to be deployed. Armed guards patrolled high catwalks and manned gun towers, ensuring comprehensive oversight.

The foreboding physical barriers also contributed to the prison's inescapable reputation. A barbed wire-topped fence surrounded the premises, but its necessity was questionable given the prison's island location. Surrounded by the freezing and turbulent waters of San Francisco Bay, the mile and a half swim to freedom was a perilous one. These fact ...

An elaborate escape plan conceived by inmates of Alcatraz is meticulously planned and executed, with three successful escapees, but one failed to execute his part on the decisive night.

Inmates Planned Escape: Three, Plus Allen West, Over 18 Months, Used Past Experiences

Allen West, who was heavily involved in planning the escape from Alcatraz, had been mulling over the idea for years before speaking with Clarence Anglin, his brother John, and Frank Morris. These three men arrived at Alcatraz in January 1961 and committed to the escape plan. Drawing on their past experience from previous escape attempts, they devised a complex plan to break out using a combination of clever timing and detailed knowledge of the prison's weaknesses.

Inmates Carved Through Walls, Reached a Corridor, and Climbed To the Rooftop

Using his knowledge about the prison's deteriorating infrastructure, West fashioned a chisel from a spoon. Meanwhile, the others made saw blades from scrap metal to aid in their efforts. They found an optimal 45-minute period after dinner when guard shifts changed to work on carving around their cell vents.

They covered their work on the walls with toilet paper, soap chips, and later with cardboard. Frank Morris, showing interest in the accordion, planned to hide his escape tools in its case. Their efforts enabled them to create holes into an underused utility corridor and set up a secret workshop above their cell block. Footprints on the roof confirmed their path.

Raft Made From Raincoats, Rubber, Accordion; Escape Timed With Warden's Vacation

The Anglins and Morris used stolen raincoats to build a raft, applying John Anglin's knowledge of vulcanizing rubber for its construction. They heat-sealed the coats together and used waterproof glue to reinforce the edges. Morris cleverly used the accordion's parts to in ...

Following an audacious escape from Alcatraz, theories about the inmates’ ultimate fate continue to swirl, with evidence and family claims pointing in different directions.

Inmates Found Drowned In Frigid San Francisco Bay, Authorities Investigate

After the escape, officials found several items in the San Francisco Bay that suggested a tragic end for the inmates.

Debris and Escapees' Items Found In Bay, Officials Conclude They Died

A homemade oar discovered by a patrol boat crewman was identified by Allen West as belonging to the escapees. Additionally, a life jacket washed ashore at Fort Cronkite Beach and another one with human teeth marks was found. Officials also recovered a packet containing photographs of friends and family of the Anglin brothers, leading them to conclude that the escapees drowned, as they believed such personal items would not be discarded willingly.

Witnesses and Whistleblowers Allege a Boat May Have Assisted Inmates In the Bay

However, Officer Robert Checke reported observing a white boat with its lights off in the bay and a flashlight beam flashing from its deck. The boat swiftly disappeared into the darkness, which led Checke to file a report suspecting the boat had been waiting for the escapees. His superiors in the FBI, however, instructed him to suppress this information.

FBI: Inmates Perished; Anglin Family Claims Escape To South America

The family of the inmates, along with anecdotal evidence, suggests a different narrative—that the inmates may have survived and fled far south of the prison.

Anglin Family Received Anonymous Tips and Gifts Hinting John and Clarence Survived Escape

The Anglin family has adamantly maintained that they had knowledge of the whereabouts of John and Clarence Anglin. Speculation was fueled by a photograph sent to the family allegedly showing the brothers in Brazil, adorned with long hair, sideburns, and sunglasses. Moreover, for years after the escape, the Anglins' childhood home received anonymous flower deliveries on special occasions, such as Mother's Day, which the family believed were from John and Clarence.

Adding to the mystery, a leather horse figurine featuring a pattern known to be John's handiwork was sent to their brother Alfred. The Anglin sisters also reported receiving Christmas cards, purporte ...

Despite a lack of explicit information from the provided transcript, there are indications that three inmates, including John Clarence and Frank Morris, may have managed a successful escape from Alcatraz and possibly lived on in secret in South America.

Evidence Suggests Morris and the Anglin Brothers Escaped Alcatraz To South America

Anglin Family Claims Gifts, Communications, and Sightings Indicate Men Reached Safety

The Anglin family has pointed to various clues suggesting that Morris and the Anglin brothers reached safety after their daring escape. Unspecified gifts, communications, and reported sightings have fueled the belief that not only did they survive their escape, but they also managed to establish lives far from U.S. law enforcement's reach in South America. Particularly telling is their supposed attendance at family funerals: Rachel Anglin’s in 1973 and their father’s in 1989, where witnesses observed two tall strangers who then left quickly before interacting with anyone.

The inmates had gathered information from other prisoners about the Bay Area and the most promising routes of escape. They settled on Angel Island as their first goal and subsequently planned to reach the mainland, where they would steal all the necessary items to continue their flight to freedom.

Simulations Suggested It Was Plausible for Inmates to Reach the Marin Headlands and a Waiting Boat

Experts at Delft University of Technology conducted computer simulations to track the inmates’ possible escape route, showing that if the inmates left Alcatraz between 11:30 PM and midnight, they would have ended up at the Marin Headlands, just underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. This was indeed a favored destination according to insights from other inmates. Moreover, if they had then discarded their makeshift oars, the tides would have carried them towards Angel Island, where an oar was later found, confirming the escape timing. Interestingly, another inmate managed to swim from Alcatraz to the Marin Headlands without a raft ...