Magician Criss Angel Was Rushed To The Hospital After A Straitjacket Trick Went Wrong

The magician was released from the hospital Saturday after losing consciousness during a performance.

By
Julia Reinstein
by Julia Reinstein

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Criss Angel was rushed to the hospital Friday night after passing out during his signature straitjacket escape trick.

Ethan Miller

According to attendees of his Mindfreak Live! show at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, the incident occurred just minutes into the show.

Angel was dangling upside-down over the stage, trying to break free of his straightjacket, when he suddenly went limp.

"He was wiggling, trying to break loose of the straitjacket while suspended, turning in circles really fast, and he just kept trying to wriggle free," Ryan Perez, a 16-year-old who went to the show with his family, told BuzzFeed News. "And with five seconds left, he suddenly stopped moving."

Cast members then brought a stool on stage, untied Angel, and rushed him offstage. They could be heard yelling offstage "like they were scrambling to make sure he was OK," Ryan said.

There was an intermission, and five minutes later it was announced that the show was being cancelled and all tickets would be refunded.

In a statement posted to Angel's Twitter account on Saturday, his team said the magician was undergoing additional tests, and that he hoped to return to the stage soon. However, the statement did not address a potential cause of him losing consciousness.

Criss Angel @CrissAngel

STATEMENT REGARDING MARCH 10, 2017 INCIDENT AT MINDFREAK® LIVE

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Fans and attendees at the show wrote online about the incident, with many sharing well wishes for the magician.

Ryan Perez @RyanPerez___

At the Criss Angel Show. Something went wrong when he tried to escape from a jacket while suspended. There is a forced intermission.

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Lona Rorer @lonarorer

Praying for @CrissAngel they had to cancel the show when he went limp doing a straight jacket trick, while suspended in air.

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