Cellphone video shows an inmate hanging out of the back window of a state prison transport van moving at freeway speeds in Oklahoma City last week.
The Sept. 2 incident was recorded by Tiggin Martin, who said she spotted other video of the incident on social media. The incident took place on Interstate 40, a nearly coast-to-coast highway that runs through the heart of Oklahoma City, Martin's video, verified by NBC News, shows.
In the video, the inmate, partially covered by an orange jumpsuit, faces traffic behind him and gestures to motorists.
The rear window appears to have been removed or broken out, and the vehicle's brake lights can be seen as it moves onto the shoulder of the roadway.
Martin told NBC affiliate KFOR of Oklahoma City that she was recording the video as her sister was driving on the interstate.
"Oh, my God," both women say on accompanying audio, with some profanity thrown in.
They express concern the man might try to jump from the vehicle. One of the two then says, "Don't you f------ do it, bro."
The sisters thought they were witnessing some sort of joke, Martin told the station, adding that the incident went by fast.
"It only lasted for about a minute or two until they pulled off the highway," she said.
Driver and sister Alexis Martin said she began to worry the man would end up on the hood of her vehicle or that it might strike him if he jumped.
"You’re driving, you’re trying to pay attention to what you’re doing, but you’re kind of like, 'What is this guy doing?'” Alexis Martin told KFOR.
The state Corrections Department said the van was in the middle of a "routine transport" when the inmate damaged it and then started hanging out of a back window.
"Our officers immediately recognized the situation, exited the highway and called for additional law enforcement support," the department said in a statement.
The man was "secured" and his trip was completed without further incident, it said.
A spokesperson for the department said it did not plan to release the inmate's identity. It was not clear whether the matter was under investigation.
The department said in its statement that it "remains committed to transparency, accountability and ensuring the safety of all individuals in our care and all Oklahomans.”
