Motorists traveling along a bustling section of Interstate 40 were taken aback when they saw a shirtless, handcuffed prisoner hanging out of the broken rear window of a state correctional van.

Even though the prisoner was without his shirt, the sleeves of his orange jumpsuit remained visible, wrapped around his arms and wrists, where his hands were securely handcuffed together.

At one point he appeared to be pleading with passing drivers all while the van barreled down the highway.

This astonishing event was captured on a cellphone video, unfolding on Tuesday evening near the iconic Skydance Bridge in the heart of Oklahoma City. The video soon went viral online.

In the footage, the inmate wriggles his body through the gap in the van, energetically shouting and gesturing at the motorists and passengers trailing behind.

‘The whole episode lasted just a minute or two before they left the highway,’ explained Tiggin Martin, who recorded the incident from her car as she was following closely.

‘When we saw him, we were all like, oh my God.’

Tiggin and her sister, Alexis Martin, were traveling westbound on I-40 when they suddenly found themselves trailing the rogue inmate’s transport.

‘You’re driving, you’re trying to pay attention to what you’re doing,’ Alexis told KFOR, ‘but you’re kind of like, what is this guy doing?’ 

At one point, the sisters can be heard yelling on the video. ‘Don’t you f***ing do it, bro!’ one shouts, fearing the inmate might decide to leap from the moving vehicle onto their car or the busy interstate below.

Sister, Tiggin, initially believed the scene might have been a prank – or perhaps part of a movie. 

‘We thought it was a joke at first,’ she said. ‘It was so fast, and then they were just gone.’ 

The van in question was a marked vehicle operated by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, bearing official DOC license plates. 

According to multiple witnesses, the inmate had somehow broken out or removed the back window, stuck his upper body out into freeway traffic, and began making frantic gestures at nearby cars.

Alexis said she was shocked there were no immediate alerts or coverage of the incident. 

‘There was nothing on it, and I was like, that’s crazy,’ she told News4, ‘I thought, ‘That can’t have just happened.’

The incident was captured from several angles which were posted to social media with some viewers wondering if the footage was fake. But state officials quickly confirmed it was all real.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) acknowledged the incident and confirmed the van had been involved in a ‘routine transport’ when the inmate caused damage to the vehicle and began hanging out the back.

‘Our officers immediately recognized the situation, exited the highway, and called for additional law enforcement support,’ the DOC said. 

The department refused to release the inmate’s identity and did not indicate whether any disciplinary action or if an investigation was underway. 

It confirmed that the individual was ‘safely secured’ and the transport was completed without further incident.

‘The Oklahoma Department of Corrections remains committed to transparency, accountability and ensuring the safety of all individuals in our care and all Oklahomans,’ the agency added.

‘You should have had him in something a little safer,’ said Alexis Martin, adding that the safety of both the inmate and those on the road was clearly jeopardized. ‘For him, for the person driving, and the people around us.’

The DOC has not confirmed how the inmate managed to break or dislodge the back window while handcuffed, or whether the van had been properly inspected before departure.

The Martin sisters say they’re just relieved no one was hurt. 

‘It was just… unreal,’ Tiggin Martin said. ‘I don’t think anyone should have to see something like that on the highway.’