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“A Wisconsin daredevil freed himself from shackles and a locked casket while plummeting to the earth at 130 miles per hour on Tuesday, eventually parachuting gently into a northern Illinois field. Anthony Martin, 47, waved to the cameras and the crowd that turned out to watch his stunt after he landed at a farm in Serena, Ill., about 70 miles southwest of Chicago.

The mood on the plane was somber as it ascended to 14,000 feet. All the skydivers involved in the stunt carefully checked the others' equipment before Martin climbed into the box and was handcuffed to a belt around his waist and chained to the inside of the casket. A prison door lock for which no key exists was screwed into place to hold the door tight as two of the skydivers checked for sight of the proposed landing area from the open door of the plane, a Short SC.7 Skyvan.

When everyone was ready, a drogue attached to the top of the box was tossed from the door, sucking the casket from the aircraft. A drogue is a small parachute similar to those used to slow drag-racing cars and fighter jets. Two skydivers also held on to handles to further steady the casket as others shot video and stills of the escape-or-die jump. The box rocked from side to side until around 6,500 feet when the Sheboygan, Wis., man emerged and tracked away from the casket before deploying his parachute”. – Andrea Thomas via Huff Post Chicago


A photo provided by Skydive Chicago shows escape artist Anthony Martin being dropped out of an airplane while being handcuffed and locked inside a box in Ottawa, Ill., Tuesday, August 6, 2013. (Photo by Joe Silva/AP Photo/Courtesy of Skydive Chicago)

A photo provided by Skydive Chicago shows escape artist Anthony Martin being dropped out of an airplane while being handcuffed and locked inside a box in Ottawa, Ill., Tuesday, August 6, 2013. (Photo by Joe Silva/AP Photo/Courtesy of Skydive Chicago)




In this photo provided by Skydive Chicago, escape artist Anthony Martin falls while handcuffed and locked inside a box after being dropped from an airplane over Ottawa, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013. (Photo by Joe Silva/AP Photo/Courtesy of Skydive Chicago)

In this photo provided by Skydive Chicago, escape artist Anthony Martin falls while handcuffed and locked inside a box after being dropped from an airplane over Ottawa, Ill., Tuesday, August 6, 2013. (Photo by Joe Silva/AP Photo/Courtesy of Skydive Chicago)




The damaged box after escape artist Anthony Martin escaped from it after being dropped from an airplane in Ottawa, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013. Martin, of Sheboygan, Wis., is no stranger to extracting himself from tricky situations. Since his first escape from handcuffs at the age of 10, he has wriggled his way out of straitjackets, ropes, chains, jail cells, coffins and a cage submerged under water. (AP Photo/Scott Eisen)



The damaged box after escape artist Anthony Martin escaped from it after being dropped from an airplane in Ottawa, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013. Martin, of Sheboygan, Wis., is no stranger to extracting himself from tricky situations. Since his first escape from handcuffs at the age of 10, he has wriggled his way out of straitjackets, ropes, chains, jail cells, coffins and a cage submerged under water. (Photo by Scott Eisen/AP Photo)

The damaged box after escape artist Anthony Martin escaped from it after being dropped from an airplane in Ottawa, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013. Martin, of Sheboygan, Wis., is no stranger to extracting himself from tricky situations. Since his first escape from handcuffs at the age of 10, he has wriggled his way out of straitjackets, ropes, chains, jail cells, coffins and a cage submerged under water. (Photo by Scott Eisen/AP Photo)




Martin glides under his parachute after successfully escaping from handcuffs and the box he was locked in. Martin, of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is no stranger to extracting himself from tricky situations. Since his first escape from handcuffs at the age of 10, he has wriggled his way out of straitjackets, ropes, chains, jail cells, coffins and a cage submerged under water. (Photo by Anthony Martin/Associated Press)

Martin glides under his parachute after successfully escaping from handcuffs and the box he was locked in. Martin, of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is no stranger to extracting himself from tricky situations. Since his first escape from handcuffs at the age of 10, he has wriggled his way out of straitjackets, ropes, chains, jail cells, coffins and a cage submerged under water. (Photo by Anthony Martin/Associated Press)
08 Aug 2013 12:44:00