Visit fugitive.com The daring escape from Alcatraz occurred on June 11, 1962, when three inmates-Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin-successfully broke out of the infamous high-security prison. Over the course of several months, they carefully planned their escape, using homemade tools to dig through the prison walls and crafting lifelike dummy heads to deceive the guards. They constructed a makeshift raft from raincoats and ventured into the perilous waters of San Francisco Bay.