Oklahoma inmate hangs out of moving prison van on Interstate 40 in desperate bid to escape

This is the shocking moment a shirtless inmate dangled out the back of a moving prison van on a busy highway, pleading for help as stunned motorists looked on.

The dramatic incident unfolded along Interstate 40 in Oklahoma City, where witnesses captured the man — half-dressed in an orange jumpsuit — hanging from the shattered rear window of a Department of Corrections transport van.

Facing oncoming traffic, the inmate waved frantically at passing cars and even appeared to tug at the back door in a desperate attempt to escape.

Witness Tiggin Martin, who filmed the nail-biting scene as her sister Alexis drove alongside, said they initially thought it was a joke, The Sun said.

“We thought it was a joke at first,” she told a local news outlet.

“It only lasted for about a minute or two until they pulled off the highway, but when we saw him, we were all like, oh my God.”

In the TikTok video, later shared by NBC, the sisters can be heard panicking as the man struggles against the frame.

“Don’t you f..kn’ do it, bro,” one voice pleads, worried he might leap into traffic.

Both women said they feared the man could land on her car if he jumped.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections later confirmed the van had been on a “routine transport” when the inmate smashed out the window for what officials dryly described as some “unauthorised fresh air.”

The agency said in a statement: “Our officers immediately recognised the situation, exited the highway and called for additional law enforcement support. The inmate was safely secured and transported without further incident.”

The heart-stopping drama lasted only about two minutes before the van pulled to the shoulder, according to the witnesses.

The inmate’s identity has not been released, and it’s unclear if an investigation is underway.

The department added it “remains committed to transparency, accountability and ensuring the safety of all individuals in our care and all Oklahomans.”

In another viral clip making waves this week, The Sun reported a Louisiana utility worker was violently struck by a turning 18-wheeler, sending him flipping upside down while suspended in a bucket lift over a busy road.

The shocking collision was caught on dashcam near Range Avenue at I-12 in Denham Springs back in June but is now circulating widely on social media.

The footage shows the semi-truck clipping the elevated basket from below, slamming the worker into the air before leaving him dangling by his harness over passing traffic.

Local police said the man was left shaken but remarkably escaped with only minor injuries and did not need hospital treatment.

The freak accident has reignited calls for greater safety precautions for roadside crews, particularly in high-traffic intersections.