(Courtesy of anthony-escapes.com)
Anthony Martin, a 47-year-old escape artist, is falling out of an airplane today, while handcuffed inside a coffin at 14,500 feet in the air. Martin, who has been doing escapes since the age of 12, will be plummeting to the ground over Serena in northern Illinois, live on TV this afternoon.
Here are 5 fast facts about Anthony Martin.
UPDATE: Martin completed the escape unscathed.
1. Martin Began Studying Escape Art At Age 6
(Courtesy of anthony-escapes.com)
Martin became infatuated with escape art after his father ruined his childhood fascination with magic after revealing the secret behind a floating pen trick. Then, at age 6, Martin began to pursue a more respectable way to impress an audience, and began studying the art of escape.
“At 10 I had pretty much started to specialize in escapes,” said Martin. “By the time I was 13, the sheriff was locking me in his handcuffs. And I was getting out.”
2. Martin Pulled Off His First Deathly Stunt At Age 11
(Courtesy of anthony-escapes.com)
Martin’s first dangerous stunt was pulled off at the age of 11, where he was locked in a cage and lowered into freezing water at a Wisconsin quarry through a hole in the ice. He emerged unscathed in one minute and 45 seconds.
3. Martin Is A Bonded Locksmith
(Courtesy of anthony-escapes.com)
Martin has studied locks and their inner working so much that he is a qualified locksmith. He has also consulted at Folger Adam and for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for lock technologies. Martin is also a member of several locksmithing organizations.
4. Today’s Is Arguably Martin’s Most Dangerous Stunt
(Courtesy of anthony-escapes.com)
In today’s stunt, Martin will be inside a wooden box, locked with a prison door lock with no existing key. A locksmith scrambled the tumblers inside it. He will also be cuffed to a belt around his waist and right arm, which will then be chained to the inside of the box. He will be falling at roughly 200 feet per second, according to Fox News.
5. Today’s Stunt Revisits One Martin Completed In 1988
(Courtesy of anthony-escapes.com)
Today’s stunt is similar to his most dangerous escape, where he dropped from a plane at 13,500 feet in 1988. That was only his 17th skydive.