What Really Happened at Alcatraz? The Shocking Escape Story
A captivating tale of a seemingly impossible prison break from Alcatraz that has baffled authorities and intrigued the world for decades.
ENGLISH LANGUAGES
1/14/20257 min read


Introduction
FBI agents were frustrated to see that even if a prisoner was left out in the open, they still couldn't escape. But somehow, right under the authorities' noses, three inmates managed to break free. The craziest part? For the next ten hours, the authorities had no clue how they pulled it off. Not just the FBI, but three other top-level agencies were working their tails off trying to figure this out. We're talking about a jailbreak that has been a puzzle for the last 60 years, and now it's become a mystery for the world.
Alcatraz Island
Once again, welcome to the infamous Alcatraz Island, which is located in the Pacific Ocean. It's only spread over 22 acres, but it used to house some of the world's most dangerous criminals. This island sits on a massive rock in the ocean, which is why it's also called "The Rock." Not only is it surrounded by the ocean for miles, but there's also a 15-foot high fence built around it for extra protection. Plus, it’s under constant surveillance by guards, 24/7, because of the strong winds and high waves that always threaten this island.
A Breakthrough in Security
Considering all these conditions, in 1934, it was declared a federal prison where extreme security measures were in place. Basically, once someone got in, there was no way they could get out on their own. This place earned a reputation for being inescapable. But on July 12, 1962, the prison's walls were shattered when three inmates cleverly managed to trick the security and escape. The main characters in this story are Jim, John, and William England, who are brothers and ended up here after a bank robbery. Then there's Frank Morris, who had been there for 13 years.
The Escape Plan
"Looks like he's been on and off from the start, and he got sent to Alcatraz because of a bank robbery. This is Allen West, who has tried to escape from other prisons before. That's why he was put in maximum security at Alcatraz. Allen knows a lot about the prison because he's been there for a while, probably more than others. He first told his buddies about the idea of escaping from Alcatraz back in 1960. Allen found a loophole in Block B where they thought they might be able to make a break for it."
Execution of the Plan
It was possible, but here’s the thing: these four would meet during lunch breaks and all that, but they weren’t in Block B. They were all trying to get themselves moved to Block B. Their initial target had already been met, and all four had been shifted to Block B together. For the next two years, they were cooking up their own little schemes within their cells. Nobody had a clue about what was going on. On July 12, 1962, as per the routine, the staff set out at 7 AM to pick up all the regions. When they counted during assembly, three prisoners were missing.
The Discovery
When I checked all the cells again, I found Frank Morris and my brother from England sleeping in their beds. It didn’t seem normal at all to them, so they went inside the cell to try to wake them up. During this time, they noticed that on the beds of all three cells, there were just dummy heads! Yeah, they had all escaped, and they had put these dummy heads made from soap, plaster, and a concrete mixer in their place. One of the dummy heads broke when it fell to the ground because it was touched, which can be seen in this photo. Seeing this scene was something else!
Initial Panic and Investigation
The staff were in shock, thinking that the prisoners couldn't escape from Ireland. They started to panic, but despite their efforts, they couldn't find any trace of the escapees. Everyone was puzzled about how, with such high security, three prisoners managed to get away. It was noted that one of the escapees, Alan West, wasn't part of the group, which raised more questions. An investigation team was called in, and the FBI was also notified. It turned out that the three had broken through the small vent in their cell walls to make their escape, which left everyone astonished.
Alan West’s Confession
When there were three sales on the other side of the wall, it wasn’t just about the weight; there was a significant damage issue. Yeah, this was the fourth weight from Alan West's sale, which for some reason, he couldn’t pull out. Alan West knew he was in deep trouble and figured it was best to come clean to the investigators. So, he told them straight up what was going on. Alan had created some dummy heads, and he actually stole the hair while getting a haircut. There was a small weight on the back wall of all four sales.
The Method
The size was five by 9:30 inches. Alan knew about the loopholes in these sales because he had already cut down on Jay's maintenance. He was aware that the walls were only 6 inches thick, and the weight could easily be increased. For six months, all four businesses found ways to work around this weight. They used stolen spoons from the kitchen to help with it, and in the end, they even made a drill machine from Jay's vacuum cleaner motor. They would hide the digging behind musical instruments or any other items they could find. It was particularly about music.
Security Breach and Escape Route
During the day, there was a lot of noise when Jay would head out into a corridor where there was no security. From there, a drain pipe led straight to the roof of the block, where they often did maintenance work. To keep the prisoners busy at Alcatraz, they made them do maintenance tasks. These four prisoners would also go up to the roof to do maintenance, and this gave them a chance to scope out every little detail for their escape plan. From the roof, they used another pipe to lower themselves down and then climbed over a 15-foot-high fence to make their getaway.
Preparations and Plan for After the Escape
She had everything ready with her sari and had even made an inflatable raft using rubber raincoats. These raincoats were provided by the administration, which they were collecting little by little. Besides that, she had also crafted something like a life jacket out of the raincoat that would keep her afloat if she ended up in the water at night. But the big question for the FBI was still: where were the escaped prisoners now? Their fourth accomplice, Allen West, mentioned that according to the plan, they were supposed to head straight for Alcatraz first.
Misdirection and Investigation Challenges
In the North, they had to land in Gurjar Khar near Angel Island, where security was almost nonexistent. From there, they needed to steal a car and some clothes. They searched all around Alcatraz but found no signs of theft or robbery—impossible for anyone to pull off such a heist with the security in place. The ocean swallowed up the whole operation. There was also a story about Allen West to throw the FBI off track, but there was no trace of the three involved. The footprints on the sixth floor of Block B were where all this went down.
Search Efforts Post-Escape
He had been hanging out at the secret workshop and when he was brought down, seeing the footprints confirmed that Alan West's story wasn't a lie. Now, along with the SBI, the Coast Guard, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Marshal Service got involved to start searching the sea for the prisoners. But they found neither prisoners nor any rafts or life jackets. It was becoming clear that this was turning into something more complicated than just a police case. Eventually, they came across a wooden plank floating in the water, which was believed to be related to the situation.
Remnants and Theories
They found part of a raft and two bags made from raincoats, which contained personal items of the prisoners, like family photos and letters. It was suspected that the three prisoners never made it to land alive because these items are something no prisoner would easily leave behind. Any dead body would start to float on the water's surface after a couple of days, but for several months, the investigation team found neither bodies nor body parts. One theory suggests that the three prisoners might have reached land by themselves after escaping in 1962.
Ongoing Mystery and Family Involvement
The FBI had been keeping a close eye on the England brothers' family. One of their nephews, David Winner, told the FBI that John and Clarence's older brother had told his sisters at the time of his death that their brothers were alive and in contact with him. Several family members also informed the FBI that on both big and small family occasions, two women, dressed in strange makeup, showed up, who might have been John and Clarence in disguise. However, after that, the two never appeared again. Additionally, 15 years later, a cousin of the England brothers...
Sightings and Legacy
The two brothers were spotted at a club in Brazil, and a photo was taken of them. Their family believes that these are indeed the England brothers, but the Marshal Service investigators are hoping that the person in the photo doesn't match the description of the England brothers. The last time there was any news about the England brothers being alive was a while ago, and since then, no one has been able to trace them. The very next year, a Kateras was banned, and in 1979, the FBI officially gave up on the case. Now it's just up to the Marshal.
Conclusion
The service is still open right now, and it will keep running until they catch the prisoners or find their dead bodies. After that, it’ll be a different story. Hilly Katraj in Ireland has been turned into a national park, where you can see the same bars where Frank Morris and his buddy Alan West were locked up 60 years ago. Hope you all give this blog from Blogifyhub lots of likes and shares. Thanks a ton for your loving comments. Catch you in the next amazing update!