ESCAPE ARTIST TAKES ON DEATH ROW

Ontario escape artist Steve Santini, officially named, "The World's Most Extreme Escape Artist" by the legendary Ripley's Believe it or Not!, will put his skills to the ultimate test on July 24th, 2009 when he tries to free himself from the death row condemned cell at the Old Prison of Trois Rivieres, Quebec.

At 9:00 AM on the morning of July 24th Santini will be searched by members of the media and prison staff to ensure he has no tools, keys, or lock picks to aid him in his escape and he will then be manacled and chained with over 20 lbs of shackles, handcuffs, and fetters and locked into the "Death Cell" at the historic prison.

"En Prison", built in 1822, is the second oldest historic prison in Canada and was the site of 8 hangings. The first took place in 1854 and the last in 1934. Today the Old Prison and it's "Go to Jail" visit-experience is a major tourist destination in Trois Rivieres with their ex-inmate guided tours . The Death Cell, from which no inmate has ever escaped, is fitted with a massive iron door weighing in at over 1000 lbs. Unlike modern jails where the doors are made up of bars, the door to the Death Cell has thick flat iron slats with spaces in between them so small it is impossible for an inmate to fit more than 2 fingers through the openings.

In an interview with the Montreal Gazette, Santini said, "I'm really interested in doing historical places. I've collected ancient restraints and antique torture instruments, so I've become something of an expert. En Prison was built in 1822. It's really a formidable place to try to get out of."

WATCH SANTINI'S PROMO VIDEO BELOW: