This is the dramatic moment a Japanese prisoner hijacked a police car to escape jail in Thailand.

Yuki Yanagi, 35, was being transported back to an immigration detention centre following a court hearing in Bangkok on September 9 when he feigned injury and pretended he could not walk.

While officers were busy retrieving a wheelchair, the quick-thinking Japanese inmate - who was left alone unrestrained - leapt into the driver's seat and sped out of the compound.

CCTV footage shows a frantic employee trying to stop Yuki's getaway by closing the gates. Another officer attempted to jump into the passenger's seat, but was nearly crushed against the gate.

Determined Yuki was seen ploughing through the steel barrier, leaving security officers stunned at the unbelievable prison break.

Officials believe the escape had been planned, with Yuki pretending he was injured when he fell at court earlier.

Police Major General Thanit Thaiwatcharamat, commander of the Immigration Bureau, said the stolen police van was later found abandoned near the Charoen Krung Pracharak Hospital.

Security footage in the area revealed that Yuki had left it behind to hail a cab headed to Pattanakarn Road.

Authorities said they have tracked down and recaptured Yuki on Monday, September 11, while he was hiding in a hotel 90 miles away in Pattaya in Chonburi province.

The suspect is reported to have scammed Japanese locals of more than 20 million Japanese yen before fleeing to Thailand. He had overstayed his visa, and was arrested on September 7 before his jailbreak.