Criss Angel helps rescue escape artist from drowning

MASHANTUCKET, Conn., June 26 (UPI) -- Criss Angel helped rescue fellow escape artist Spencer Horsman from drowning this week.

The 46-year-old magician came to the America's Got Talent season 7 contestant's aid after he became trapped in a water tank during rehearsals for Angel's show The Supernaturalists.

Horsman lost consciousness as he was suspended in the vessel 30 feet in the air with his hands bound. The disturbing incident was caught on video as Criss and several stagehands scrambled to pull Horsman from the tank.

"Criss was terrified," an eyewitness told the Las Vegas Sun. "He ran onto the stage mid-performance screaming to the crew to 'get him down' ... They were all screaming. This was no illusion. This was high-stakes drama."

Angel postponed the show's opening night to Friday, and Horsman is expected to be well enough to perform Saturday. The Supernaturalists is scheduled for a four-week run at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

"In an effort to ensure the safety of the cast and crew, we had to move the opening night," Angel said. "This was a close call with near-disaster, but it assures that the audience will experience a revolutionary, mind-blowing show proving just how real magic can be."

The celebrity illusionist, born Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, came to fame in the 1990s, and has appeared on several TV specials and A&E reality series Criss Angel Mindfreak. He currently stars with Cirque du Soleil in Criss Angel: Believe at the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas.