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John Abruzzi is a main character in Prison Break. He is one of the Fox River 8.

Family

Biography

Background

John Abruzzi was the Don of the Abruzzi Family of the Chicago Mafia. He was convicted and sentenced for two accounts of conspiracy to murder. Abruzzi ordered a hit on Fibonacci, who was entered into the witness protection program by the government, while Abruzzi was sentenced to 120 years without parole.

Season 1

As a former Chicago mob boss, Abruzzi enjoyed celebrity status amongst the prisoner population at Fox River, where he started a gang that had close ties to new boss of Chicago Mafia, Philly Falzone. He ran Prison Industry (PI), an internal work program for the convicts, and was both highly respected and feared by the rest of the cons inside Fox River's walls, and his inmate number is 81004. His mobster status also allowed him to enjoy a certain extent of autonomy and freedom inside the prison's walls, especially from the head of the internal correctional officers Captain Brad Bellick, who was on the payroll of Abruzzi's associates. Abruzzi obsessed over finding Fibonacci, and upon realizing that Michael Scofield knew of Fibonacci's location, removed one of his toes to extract the information. After several futile attempts at scaring and torturing Michael into giving up the information, Abruzzi decided to join Michael, and supplied his time and resources to helping the escape.

When T-Bag told his cousin James about the break out plan, Abruzzi ordered one of his men on the outside to make James disappear for a week. The kidnapping went wrong, resulting in the death of both James and his son, who was being used as a human shield. Abruzzi, despite being deeply saddened, had his men inside of the prison rough T-Bag up. Badly injured and fearing for his life, T-Bag finally agreed to back out of the escape plan. Abruzzi decided not to kill him, but this proved to be a mistake, as T-Bag immediately took the opportunity to slash Abruzzi's throat.

Abruzzi was evacuated from Fox River by helicopter to receive treatment for his injuries. This complicated Michael's escape plan, as a plane Abruzzi owned was the planned getaway vehicle.

Over a week later, assumed dead by his fellow inmates, Abruzzi was sent back to Fox River and rejoined the escape attempt, apparently a changed man. He later escaped with Michael, Lincoln Burrows and other inmates. During the escape, T-Bag handcuffed himself to Michael. However, Abruzzi used an axe to cut off T-Bag's hand, simultaneously taking his vengeance and ridding the group of T-Bag. Abruzzi was one of the group of five who was forced to run on foot after the plane left them behind.

Season 2

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John Abruzzi's final stand.

On the morning after the escape, John Abruzzi found himself with his fugitive comrades, continuing to evade the authorities on foot. After narrowly passing a freight train to create more distance between themselves and the authorities, the group of five fugitives was trapped by an armed hunter who was aware of their fugitive status. Abruzzi quickly took matters into his hands by taking the hunter's daughter hostage. As the hunter lowered his weapon, they captured his SUV and continued to Oswego to find Michael's hidden cache in the cemetery. After regrouping in a warehouse, the fugitives went their separate ways.

Abruzzi met up with his family and together they planned to catch a cargo ship to Sardinia. Before he and his family could leave, however, Abruzzi was informed that Otto Fibonacci was staying at a motel outside of Washington D.C.. Abruzzi at first questioned this but proceeded when the source was confirmed, disregarding his wife's pleas to stay. However, it turned out to be a trap set up by Agent Mahone and the FBI in an attempt to recapture him. Brazenly, Abruzzi walked out of the motel room with a gun in hand. Mahone stated that Abruzzi was to lower his weapon, stating that the agents surrounding him were 'serious guys', and that they had instruction to shoot at the first sign of aggression. Mahone explained "You're going back to Fox River today, or the morgue. That's your call. Put your hands behind your head and kneel." Abruzzi looked at him and scanned the area before saying his final words, "I kneel only to God. I don't see him here."

Just as Abruzzi raised his gun in his final-stand, Mahone took cover and watched on as the FBI team riddled Abruzzi with bullets, killing him.

Post-Death

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John Abruzzi's picture on the left

Season 2

Upon hearing about Abruzzi's demise on the news, Lincoln comments, "I didn't think Abruzzi would be the first to go down."

T-Bag comments that the Fox River 8 should now be referred to as the Fox River 7, as Abruzzi is "taking his dirt nap."

He is seen in later episodes by use of archive footage.

Season 4

John Abruzzi's photo appeared in Michael's dream during the episode Going Under. This is when he's talking with Charles Westmoreland.

Season 5

Lincoln mentions having had to work odd jobs for Abruzzi's son, Luca, in the years that Michael disappeared and began working for Poseidon

Breakout Kings

Six years after Abruzzi's death, T-Bag escaped indirectly with the help of Abruzzi, killing the guard with a hidden blade that was underneath his prosthetic hand, the one that had replaced the hand he originally had before it being chopped off by Abruzzi with an axe.

Appearances

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5

Trivia

  • When John Abruzzi opens door 116, the place where Otto Fibonacci should being, this is a possible reference to the Fox River Eight[1].
  • Abruzzi is the first of the Fox River Eight to be intercepted and killed. The episode First Down is named after him.
  • Abruzzi was not present in the flashback episode Brothers Keeper, however elements of his backstory are revealed in Sleight of Hand.
  • Abruzzi hated Patoshik, but said it would be alright that he was in the escape plan. Not much later, Abruzzi did want to get rid off Haywire, which worked.
    • Ironically enough, Abruzzi died earlier then Patoshik.
  • Abruzzi is the first main character who was nearly killed by T-Bag.
    • Therefor, Lechero is the first main character to be killed by T-Bag.
  • Abruzzi 'swore to God' that he'd rather die than go back to Prison, this foreshadows his death and final stand out with the FBI.
John Abruzzi
John Abruzzi cutting off T-Bag's hand.

Notes and references

See also

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