In the annals of audacious prison escapes, one incident stands out for its sheer boldness and ingenuity – the daring helicopter escape of convicted bank robber Michel Vaujour and his wife Nadine from Prison de la Sante in Paris in 1985. This unbelievable escape has since become legendary, capturing the imaginations of people all over the world.
Michel Vaujour, then 34 years old, was serving a lengthy sentence for a series of armed robberies when he began planning his daring escape. With the help of his wife Nadine, who was a former nurse, Vaujour meticulously planned every detail of the escape, leaving nothing to chance.
According to reports;
The daring escape occurred Monday in broad daylight. Nadine Vaujour rented the helicopter at the School Saint-Cyr Airdrome outside Paris and flew it 19 miles to the Prison de la Sante where her husband and another inmate were waiting on the roof of their cell block.
As the helicopter hovered overhead, a machine-gun waving accomplice slid down a cable and put it over Vaujour, who was lifted up. The cable was let down again and the accomplice was raised. They abandoned the second inmate.
Nadine Vaujour flew the helicopter to a soccer field at a university housing complex 15 minutes after the escape. The Vaujours and their accomplice fled on foot. Police believe a car was waiting for them.
Authorities said the couple appeared to have plotted the escape since 1983, the year Nadine Vaujour began taking helicopter lessons under her maiden name in Annecy, France.
Michel Vaujour, in and out of prison since age 17, was serving an 18-year prison sentence he received in March 1985 for a 1981 armed bank robbery in Paris and a 1980 homicide attempt.
He was convicted of 10 other robberies and had escaped on three previous occasions. It took police two years to catch him after a 1979 escape.
Police said Nadine Vaujour had been imprisoned at least three times, for receiving stolen goods, swindling and attempted robbery. It was unclear whether she was convicted in any of the offenses.
She was last arrested in 1983 for her alleged role in an attack on an armored car in Tours. Two would-be robbers were killed and two security guards seriously wounded in the attempted theft. She was released for lack of proof.
The story of Michel Vaujour and Nadine’s helicopter escape will continue to fascinate and intrigue people for years to come. It is a tale of daring, ingenuity, and the unbreakable bond between a husband and wife willing to risk it all for a chance at freedom.
