EXCLUSIVE: Alcatraz Convicts 'Did NOT Drown' As They Used 'Electric Cord Tied to Ferry Boat' for Infamous Prison Escape and Then Fled to Brazil
Alcatraz's infamous escape may have ended with two of the escapees actually making it back to the mainland and continuing on with their lives.
May 6 2025, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Now that President Trump has made it clear he wants to reopen Alcatraz to hold "the dregs of society," all eyes are once again on the prison's infamous escape and how two of the three men may have actually survived their daring breakout.
In 1962, Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin went above and beyond to escape – including leaving paper mache model heads in their likenesses in their beds – and while for years people have believed they simply drowned during their escape, it is now said two of the escapees survived, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Alcatraz saw three men make a daring escape back in 1962.
A History Channel documentary titled Alcatraz: Search for the Truth claimed the Anglin brothers didn't drown while swimming over a mile to the California mainland, and instead made it to Brazil where they continued on with their lives.
According to the doc, while Morris was unsuccessful in his escape, John and Clarence body-surfed from the island using an electrical cord tied behind a ferry.
Their nephew David Widner told the network: "We can now prove to the world that those boys did not drown." Widner was also able to produce a photo said to be of the brothers on their Brazilian ranch – and according to an expert who analyzed the snap, it is the real deal.
This photo is believed to be of escapees John and Clarence Anglin in Brazil, following their escape.
Retired U.S. Marshall Art Roderick, who spent 20 years looking for the escapees, confirmed the ranchers in the photo are indeed John and Clarence.
Despite this, authorities have doubled-down on the claim the men never reached the mainland after attempting to bust out of the "escape proof" prison.
However, the strongest evidence John and Clarence comes from Fred Brizzi, a drug smuggler and childhood friend of the brothers. According to Brizzi, he gave Widner the much-talked about photo after running into the siblings at a Rio de Janeiro bar.
The prison has been closed since 1962, and is now a museum.
Brizzi claimed John and Clarence told him they escaped by taking a 120-foot electrical cord – later reported missing from the prison dock – tied it to a rudder of a ferry, and were then towed out into the bay to a waiting ship.
Experts believe it was Brizzi who picked up the men and took them to safety.
The Anglins' other nephew Ken said the documentary actually proved they "did get off that island. They actually did survive that crossing. It's very possible they are alive today."
In 1979, a film based off the escape titled Escape from Alcatraz was released, with Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau playing the brothers, while Clint Eastwood played Morris.
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed in 1962, after nearly 30 years of holding infamous convicts, including Al Capone. However, the prison – now a museum – may reopen to serve its original function... that is if Trump gets his way.
He took to Truth Social over the weekend and raged: "REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!
"For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering."
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President Trump now wants to reopen Alcatraz for its original purpose.
"When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm," the 78-year-old added.
However, bringing Alcatraz back to life may cost at least "$75million" simply to keep it running.
