Daredevil to hang 100 feet above Pittsburgh for fire truck ladder escape
On Saturday, Pittsburgh magician, actor, comedian and daredevil Lee Terbosic will attempt an upside-down straitjacket escape suspended from a Pittsburgh Fire Department ladder truck 100 feet above the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s new Arts Landing civic space.
Terbosic describes it as the most dangerous stunt he has ever attempted. The lifeline tethered to Terbosic’s feet will be set ablaze, giving him a limited amount of time to free himself during “Houdini 100: Chapter Two – The Great Fire Truck Ladder Escape.”
Things start at 7 p.m., with Terbosic’s stunt happening around 8:30 p.m. Halloween costumes are encouraged.
The performance marks 100 years since Houdini’s death on October 31, 1926, and nearly a decade since Terbosic’s original “Houdini 100” stunt. On November 6, 2016, Terbosic hung upside down 100 feet above Wood Street and Liberty Avenue, recreating Houdini’s Pittsburgh escape 100 years to the minute after the original performance.
In 2016, Pittsburgh legends Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier and Tom Savini helped secure Terbosic in his straitjacket. This year’s special guests will remain a surprise until event night. The new escape is inspired by Houdini’s use of a fire truck ladder in 1925.
“You can watch a video afterward, but you can never recreate the feeling of being there,” said Terbosic. “The anticipation, the height, the whole crowd holding its breath together. I want people to remember where they stood, who they were with and what it felt like when I got free. That’s the power of a moment like this.”
The event is free and open to the public. For information, go online to trustarts.org.