Escape artist Spencer Horsman nearly drowns in underwater stunt

DRAMATIC video shows the moment an escape artist is trapped in a locked box filled with water and nearly drowns in front of a live audience.

Death-Defying submerged escape live in New Brunswick

A DAREDEVIL nearly drowned in front of a live audience in New Jersey on Tuesday during a botched underwater stunt.

Self-proclaimed escape artist Spencer Horsman was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital about 1pm after he got trapped in a locked box filled with water as part of a public performance at the State Theater.

Dramatic CBS video (below) shows Horsman getting into dire trouble while performing his “Water Torture Cell” stunt, where he submerges himself, wrapped in metal chains, in a see-through glass and metal box filled with water. He and the box are hoisted into the air as he is supposed to be freeing himself.

Escape artist Spencer Horsman nearly drowns in stunt gone wrong in New Brunswick More @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/KO52YxszVT

— Meg Baker (@megbakertv) September 15, 2015

But the box had to be quickly lowered as Horsman struggled inside the water. Four men then rushed over to unlock the box and quickly dragged his limp body out.

A few audience members tweeted their well wishes to Horsman.

“As best we can tell @SpencerHorsman is gonna be ok! Scary to witness!” tweeted @MetalDiva81, who drove four hours to watch the performance.

Horsman has had trouble with the performance before, telling his supporters on Instagram that it nearly killed him a few months ago.

Paramedics rushed to help Horsman who struggled to free himself and was pulled from the water. Picture: Alex Remnick/NJ.com

Just last week, an escape artist in the UK almost suffocated when he was buried alive at a festival and failed to free himself.

Antony Britton was cuffed and buried beneath 2m of dirt without a coffin and had to free himself and scrabble through the soil.

It all went horribly wrong after he failed to emerge within nine minutes and his support team could no longer hear him breathing. They quickly used a mechanical digger and their bare hands to pull him out but he was unconscious. Helpers had to clear soil from his mouth and throat before paramedics arrived.

Britton came around after several minutes and is recovering from minor injuries including cracked ribs.

He told the Guardian that the soil was landing on top of him and “compacting and crushing” him.

Helpers had to clear dirt from Antony Britton’s mouth and throat after his live burial stunt went horribly wrong. Picture: Paul Saripo/Escape for Life

“Every single time another bucket came it was getting worse,” he said. “I managed to get an air hole. I remember exhaling and because I collapsed my lungs the soil compacted into that space which meant that when I went to inhale I couldn’t.

“I remember then getting my right arm stuck in the soil and I started passing out. At that point all sorts went through my head and I just remember thinking it’s up to the ground crew to do their job.”

In 1915, the legendary Harry Houdini attempted the same stunt and was only just able to claw himself to the surface, emerging in a state of near-breakdown.