Skydiver in handcuffs escapes from coffin at 14,500 feet

US daredevil Anthony Martin escaped Tuesday from a locked box dropped from an airplane at 14,500 feet after freeing himself from handcuffs and picking the lock in under a minute.

"I praise God it all went good," the 47-year-old an escape artist from Sheboygan, Wisconsin told reporters afterward in comments carried on the Website of Chicago television station WLS. "It's good to be here. It's good to be alive."

He was reprising a stunt he did 25 years ago that his closest associates considered one of his most dangerous.

In the stunt, Martin's hands were cuffed to a belt around his waist and his right arm was chained to the inside of the box. Locksmiths scrambled the box's lock so it could not be opened with a key.

Martin had about 40 seconds from the time he was launched into 120 mph free-fall to pick the lock, get out of the box, launch a parachute and land safely on the ground.

"I know what it's like being the guy in the box, but I don't know what it looks like on video. I can't wait to see," Martin told reporters.

A Skyvan twin-turbine plane took off from an airstrip near Ottawa, Illinois, southwest of Chicago and the box was dropped from a cargo bay over a field at Serena, about 5 miles away.

Two skydivers jumped along with Martin to stabilise the box, which was fitted with a parachute that provided stability but did not significantly slow the rate it fell.

They were not equipped to open the box and rescue Martin if he failed.

Martin's longtime skydiving stunt coordinator, Rook Nelson, said before the feat he was confident the escape artist could complete the stunt but described it as highly dangerous.

Martin's personal website says he has escaped from handcuffs and manacles while skydiving, has been lowered under the ice in steel cages, gotten out of locked prison cells after being put in a straight jacket and escaped from a locked steel safe.

Man under water in diving gear 6 days

A Tennessee scuba diver has set what is believed to be a record freshwater dive of more than six days.

Jerry Hall emerged from South Holston Lake in Tennessee’s northeast corner at 1:42 p.m. EDT on Friday after going under the surface at noon on Saturday, July 27. The dive lasted six days, one hour and 42 minutes.

His trainer, Ella Helton, described Hall as emotional as he surfaced, especially as he hugged his son.

“He’s in great spirits, very, very weak, very emotional,” Helton said by cellphone from the lakeshore.

Hall, 49, set an earlier record of five days in 2008 that was certified by Guinness World Records, but a Florida diver later said he bested the mark.

The record was broken at 12:25 pm on Thursday.

Hall, who is 49, then stayed down another day to extend the mark.

The dive was also used as a fundraiser for the children’s charity of Bristol Motor Speedway.

The diver had not yet weighed out, but handlers expected him to lose about 30 pounds from lack of food. He was on only liquids during the dive. Hall had intentionally gained about 15 pounds prior to the dive in anticipation of the weight loss.

Asked to describe Hall as he emerged, the trainer replied, “He’s very, very cold, very wrinkled and gray.”

From the dive platform, Hall had told his team he wanted “a hot dog, a beer and a hot shower” as soon as he got out of the lake.

Other divers took turns staying with Hall on the dive platform around the clock, watching over him as he slept. He was never alone during the event. Medical personnel were nearby and his condition was constantly monitored.

Hall, who works at Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, watched a lot of movies to pass the time while under the surface.

Helton said Hall wanted the mark to stand for a long time.

“This will be his last one,” she said, noting his age.

The time of the dive will be submitted to Guinness for certification.

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