Escape from hospital

No trace of inmate for two months

The man (25) was actually supposed to be on remand.(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

Where on earth was he hiding? How could he escape so easily? A Kosovar has been missing for two months - the man fled during an examination at Salzburg Accident Hospital. The manhunt is underway ...

Escape from custody instead of pre-trial detention! A prisoner from Kosovo (25) seized the opportunity during an X-ray treatment in the accident hospital and was able to shake off his judicial officers after a short chase. The incident took place on January 7th - as reported by the "Krone" newspaper. Since then, there has been no trace of the Kosovar.

"The man is still on the run," confirmed control inspector Johann Schnöll from the Puch-Urstein prison in response to an inquiry from Krone. The manhunt for him is still ongoing. The Kosovar is in custody for several burglary offenses. "He does not pose any immediate danger," emphasizes Schnöll.

Officers quickly lost sight of the convict 
It is unclear whether the 25-year-old is still in Salzburg or Austria at all. The fact is: minutes after his escape, the man's trail disappears - even though officers had accompanied the Kosovar to his examination in the X-ray room of the accident hospital.

The Kosovar escaped during treatment at the accident hospital.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Four inmates have managed to escape since 2020 
Nevertheless, such incidents are extremely rare in Salzburg. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, there has been one prison break and three escapes in Salzburg since 2020. What does that mean? These occur when prisoners - as in this case - have to be taken to an external hospital for examinations or work outside the prison walls. Most of these escapes ended