Inmate Escapes Duisburg Prison via Roof After Sawing Cell Window Bars

The escape route

A 35-year-old detainee escaped from the Duisburg-Hamborn correctional facility in North Rhine-Westphalia at approximately 03:20 on Sunday morning. Investigators determined that the man had cut through a window bar in his third-floor cell facing the inner courtyard over an extended period. Before fleeing, he used his cell table as a lever to force open the additional fine wire mesh, squeezed through the narrow gap, and climbed up the inner facade to reach the roof above the fourth floor.

After overcoming the safety barriers along the roof edge, the inmate reached ground level on the exterior of the complex through unknown means. The correctional facility, constructed in 1912 as an annex to the Hamborn local court, sits directly within the urban area without a surrounding perimeter wall. On its northern side along Koernerstrasse, the structure drops to three storeys and directly abuts neighbouring buildings, providing lower roof sections. Duisburg police launched an immediate manhunt across the region.

Concealment and preparation

Following the escape, prison authorities discovered a concealed cavity beneath the linoleum floor near one of the cell walls. The hiding spot had remained undetected during regular cell inspections. Lukas Kockmann, spokesperson for the state justice ministry, confirmed the discovery of the hidden compartment.

We were already able to locate an ingenious hiding place in the floor of the cell. We must assume that a tool was deposited in this hiding place with which he was able to saw open the steel struts in the first place.

Officials confirmed that no cutting tools were left behind in the cavity when investigators inspected the room after the breakout.

Prisoner background and criminal record

The fugitive, identified by authorities as a Serbian national, had been held in pre-trial detention at the Duisburg-Hamborn facility since 10 February 2026 on suspicion of aggravated theft. At the end of May 2026, he received a six-year prison sentence following a conviction for two high-value residential burglaries. Judicial officials stated that this conviction was not yet legally binding at the time of his escape.

According to judicial sources, the burglaries involved the theft of valuable jewellery and more than 200,000 euros in cash. While authorities noted the significant criminal sophistication demonstrated during these offences, law enforcement confirmed that the man had not been classified as a violent offender.

Political scrutiny and investigation

The breakout triggered immediate operational reviews within the North Rhine-Westphalia justice system. Justice Minister Benjamin Limbach dispatched a ministerial security specialist directly to the Hamborn facility to determine how the security breach occurred.

Today's escape is absolutely unacceptable. The top priority now is the swift capture of the escaped remand prisoner.

Limbach stated that investigators would examine the facility to close vulnerabilities.

We will fully investigate how this security gap could arise in order to draw the necessary consequences from the results immediately.

The incident places renewed scrutiny on correctional management in North Rhine-Westphalia. The ministry had already faced criticism following bribery investigations involving prison staff at facilities in Euskirchen, Limburg, and Willich, where employees allegedly accepted payments to supply inmates with prohibited items such as mobile phones and unauthorized privileges. As of Sunday afternoon, Duisburg police reported no confirmed sightings of the escaped man.