Wild moment convict attempts daring jail escape by sliding several storeys down a drainpipe in his underwear

Onlookers were shocked to see a prisoner make a dramatic escape from a hospital holding ward by climbing several floors via an external pipe while wearing only his underwear.

Damon Anderson, who was shirtless and also appeared to be barefoot, was captured on film Monday sliding down a rectangular pipe along the outside wall of Waikato Hospital in the northern New Zealand city of Hamilton.

He remained at large on Tuesday.

Anderson, an inmate at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, is seen sliding down four floors and after a brief pause on the first floor windowsill, he eventually manages to clamber to the ground.

Once on the ground, Anderson initially appears to be in no hurry as he walks away, but then begins jogging as he leaves the hospital grounds.

Although Anderson is not considered a risk to police, police have warned anyone who sees him not to approach but to call.

Scott Walker, general manager of Spring Hill Corrections Facility, said Anderson was wearing handcuffs and a GPS monitor when he escaped.

However, video footage and witness statements show that Anderson was not handcuffed during his acrobatic escape.

Anderson remained at large while New Zealand police warned the public not to approach him

An unnamed witness said it was “shocking” to see someone climbing down the building.

‘It was scary. That’s a huge, tall building, they said.

“If he had fallen, he would have died.”

The witness also said this New Zealand herald Anderson was seen walking around the hospital without handcuffs and wearing his underwear just minutes before absconding.

“Prior to that, he walked through the second floor of the building in his underwear without handcuffs,” the witness said.

A large number of staff witnessed this a few minutes before he was seen escaping.’

Anderson is believed to have escaped through a window on the eighth floor of the building where the hospital has a detention unit.

However, the witness said hospital staff seemed unaware that Anderson was an inmate.

‘There’s a mental institution next door, so we thought he was from there. We didn’t realize it was a prisoner until about 30 minutes after he escaped,” the witness said.

“We were calling the mental health facility to let them know that a potential client of theirs was climbing the building, but no one had escaped.

A spokesperson for Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora said it has “robust systems and processes” in place at its hospitals to protect patients and staff.

“We are working closely with New Zealand Police and Corrections to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” the spokesperson said.