3-Hour Sepulveda Ordeal : Alleged Boy Burglar Saved From Chimney

A 9-year-old boy was rescued by firefighters Tuesday three hours after he became wedged in a chimney of a Sepulveda house during what authorities said was a burglary copying a technique the boy had seen on television.

Police said the boy, who was not identified because of his age, had been arrested last week on suspicion of burglary in the same neighborhood. The boy and a friend, also 9, were both arrested at the house Tuesday. They are suspects in at least 10 burglaries in the Sepulveda neighborhood in the past month, police said.

Firefighters used a pneumatic drill to tear apart the chimney, then pulled out the boy, covered with soot and with minor cuts, at 12:30 p.m. He was taken by ambulance to Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills for examination, then released to police.

‘Don’t Tell My Mother’

During his three hours in the chimney, the boy repeatedly screamed in pain as firefighters worked to free him. “Don’t tell my mother,” he begged them.

Los Angeles Police Sgt. John Rygh said the two youngsters, both from Sepulveda, tried unsuccessfully to enter the house on Sunburst Street through a rear entrance before opting to go down the chimney. The boy who became trapped told police he had seen a burglar go down a chimney on a recent episode of a television show, Rygh said.

While one boy waited outside, the other climbed the roof and eased himself down the chimney, which measured 8 inches by 14 inches, firefighters said.

When the boys were arrested last week on burglary charges, they were released to the custody of their parents pending a court hearing, Rygh said. But, after Tuesday’s incident, police decided to try to have the children placed in a foster home.

“The home environment is not one we want to see kids go back to,” he said.

Authorities would not disclose where the boys were being held.

The boys were ostensibly on their way to class at Plummer Elementary School in Sepulveda when the burglary attempt occurred, Rygh said. A woman who lives near the Sunburst Street home told police she chased two children off her property after she saw them peering inside her window about 8:30 a.m., Rygh said.

Target of Opportunity

Rygh said police believe that the boys reached the Sunburst Street house, found no one home and decided to break in. After the one boy crawled into the chimney and failed to reappear, his friend became worried and broke into the house using a machete that was in the backyard, Rygh said.

Once inside, the second boy found his friend dangling about five feet above the chimney’s base, Rygh said. After trying unsuccessfully to pull his friend out, the boy called the emergency 911 number, but hung up before explaining what had happened. Police, however, had traced the 9:30 a.m. call.

Authorities found the boy wedged upright inside the chimney, with his legs pulled up beneath him and his hands trapped above his head, firefighters said.

Drama Unfolds

Unable to rescue the child without tearing apart the chimney, the firefighters prepared to drill from inside a linen closet in the house. As neighbors gathered in front of the house to watch, the rescue team covered the living room furniture and carpets with plastic sheets and khaki tarpaulins, and donned masks to protect them from dust.

Rescuers also lowered a mask over the boy’s head and piped in oxygen. As they worked to free him, the boy wailed, “I can’t move,” and complained that his head hurt.

“You’ve got this far down, just a little bit more. Can you move your head at all?” a firefighter asked.

“No,” the boy whimpered.

After an hour, firefighters had drilled a hole 5 feet high and about a foot wide, large enough to extricate the boy.

Outside, Evelyn Grube, the house’s owner, watched with her mother-in-law. Grube, sales manager of a Chatsworth cosmetics company, said she had been called by police.

“I was very upset until I found out he was a youngster,” Grube said. “I’m still upset but I hope he’s not badly injured.”