Ever notice how we’re obsessed with people who do the impossible? Maybe that’s why I can’t stop thinking about Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers, who pulled off what might be the most badass prison break in American history. (And trust me, I’ve gone down some deep prison break rabbit holes at 2 AM.)
On June 11, 1962, these three men vanished from America’s most secure prison—a place literally designed to be escape-proof. And the kicker? We still don’t know if they survived.
The “Inescapable” Rock
Alcatraz wasn’t just any prison. It was THE prison—a maximum-security nightmare sitting on a freezing island in San Francisco Bay. The feds basically said, “Let’s take our most troublesome inmates and stick them somewhere they absolutely cannot escape from.”
The place was a fortress with guard towers watching every angle, regular headcounts, and cells with special tool-resistant bars. Plus, you know, it was surrounded by frigid water with currents strong enough to drag Olympic swimmers out to sea.
Prison officials were so confident in their setup that they basically dared inmates to try escaping. (Spoiler alert: bad idea.)
The Masterminds Behind the Madness
Frank Morris wasn’t your average criminal. With an IQ of 133, he’d been orchestrating escapes since age 13. The Anglin brothers, John and Clarence, were bank robbers who’d already attempted several prison breaks together.
Basically, Alcatraz accidentally assembled the Ocean’s Eleven of prison escapes. Ryan (my husband) always says this is like putting three chess grandmasters in a room and being shocked when they figure out how to beat your security system.
The Plan That Shouldn’t Have Worked (But Did)
Their escape plan was so meticulous it makes my color-coded true crime spreadsheets look like kindergarten scribbles:
1. They spent MONTHS digging through the concrete around their cell vents using makeshift tools (spoons from the dining hall and a drill cobbled together from a vacuum cleaner motor).
2. They created dummy heads from soap, toilet paper, and actual human hair from the prison barbershop. These creepy papier-mâché nightmares were convincing enough to fool guards during night checks. (I’ve seen photos—they’re about as subtle as a bloodstain on white carpet, yet somehow worked.)
3. On the night of June 11, they squeezed through their widened vents, climbed up utility corridors to the roof, and shimmed down a kitchen vent pipe to the ground.
4. Then came the truly insane part—they allegedly assembled a raft made from 50+ stolen raincoats, sealed with heat from the prison’s steam pipes, and paddled into the bay’s 50-degree waters.
The Aftermath: A Cold Case That Still Burns
The FBI maintained for decades that the men drowned in the bay. But—plot twist!—no bodies ever washed up. And in 2013, a letter supposedly from John Anglin surfaced claiming all three survived that night but that Morris died in 2008 and Clarence in 2011.
The FBI’s investigation into the Alcatraz escape remains technically open, which makes my true crime heart flutter. It’s like the criminal equivalent of Schrödinger’s cat—they’re simultaneously dead in the bay and sipping margaritas in Brazil until proven otherwise.
Why This Case Still Haunts Us
What makes this case so fascinating isn’t just the James Bond-level planning. It’s that these men exposed critical flaws in what was supposed to be America’s most secure facility. After the escape, guards discovered the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary had deteriorating concrete walls, unmonitored utility corridors, and insufficient nighttime checks.
The escape basically forced a complete overhaul of prison security nationwide. (You’re welcome, prison industrial complex?)
Could They Have Made It?
I’ve spent way too many hours contemplating this question. The water temperature was 50-54°F that night, meaning they’d have about 30 minutes before hypothermia set in. The currents were brutal. But—and this is important—if they timed their departure with the tides correctly, they could have potentially reached Angel Island.
When I visited Alcatraz Island last year, our tour guide mentioned that in 2014, researchers used computer models to determine that if the escapees left between 11:00 PM and midnight, they could have survived. Guess what time they likely departed? Around 11:30 PM.
Coincidence? I think not. (Ryan thinks I need to “let this one go,” but he also thinks watching three consecutive episodes of Dateline is “excessive.”)
The Lesson? Never Underestimate Human Ingenuity
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from studying hundreds of criminal cases, it’s that humans are remarkably resourceful when motivated. These men spent months planning, calculating tides, gathering materials, and creating decoys—all under constant surveillance.
The next time someone tells you something’s impossible, remember the guys who might have escaped from Alcatraz with raincoats and spoons.
Now excuse me while I triple-check my door locks. Old habits die hard.