8 daring and unusual asylum escape attempts in history
Asylums have always been a topic of fascination for urban explorers. These once bustling institutions, designed to provide care and treatment for individuals with mental illnesses, are now abandoned and derelict. While many urban explorers visit asylums simply to document their decay and explore the eerie atmosphere, others are intrigued by the stories of patients who attempted to escape these facilities.
In this post, we’ll be looking at some of the most daring and unusual asylum escape attempts in history.
1. The Great Escape – Pilgrim Psychiatric Center: In 1978, four patients at the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center on Long Island escaped by using a homemade ladder to climb over the facility’s 14-foot fence. Dubbed “The Great Escape”, it took weeks for authorities to capture all four patients, one of whom was eventually found hiding in a nearby cemetery.
2. The Fake Death – Willard Asylum: A patient at New York’s Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane faked his own death in order to escape in 1906. After convincing staff that he had died from tuberculosis, his body was released into the custody of his family who then cremated him without realizing he was still alive.
3. The Sewer Escape – Kingseat Hospital: In New Zealand’s Kingseat Hospital in 1989, two male patients attempted an ambitious escape through a network of underground tunnels and sewer pipes beneath the facility. Although they were able to make it out into an adjacent field before being caught by police dogs, one patient suffered severe hypothermia from wading through sewage water.
4. The Helicopter Rescue – Athens Lunatic Asylum: In Ohio’s Athens Lunatic Asylum in 1979, three inmates made headlines when they hijacked a helicopter during its landing routine on site grounds and forced it fly them across state lines towards Michigan before ultimately getting arrested after running out fuel mid-flight.
5. The Disguise – Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: In 1966, a patient at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia was able to escape by disguising herself as a nurse. After stealing keys from an unsuspecting staff member, she changed into a nurse’s uniform and simply walked out of the facility, blending in with the rest of the hospital staff.
6. The Rope Ladder – Danvers State Hospital: In 1985, two patients at Massachusetts’ Danvers State Hospital used a makeshift rope ladder made from bed sheets to climb down from their third-story window. Although they were eventually caught by police after breaking into a nearby home for food and shelter, they remained uncaptured for several days.
7. The Fire Escape – Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital: A group of five patients at New Jersey’s Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital escaped in 1952 by using fire escapes to climb out of windows on the upper floors of the massive building complex. Despite being hunted down by authorities and canine units, all five managed to evade capture for several days before finally being apprehended.
8. The Tunnels – Manteno State Hospital: In Illinois’ Manteno State Hospital during World War II era, patients attempted multiple escapes through tunnels dug underneath the asylum grounds leading under barbed wire fences towards freedom outside but were always caught due to lack of proper planning or equipment.
While these stories are intriguing and often filled with daring feats of ingenuity and creativity, it is important to remember that many individuals who sought treatment in these institutions faced unimaginable horrors while confined within their walls. We should approach these sites with respect and reverence for those who suffered there rather than glorifying escape attempts or trivializing mental illness itself.