He’s no Santa: Man arrested after getting stuck in chimney in Sylmar
A man was arrested on suspicion of trespassing after he was forced to call police when he found himself trapped in a chimney at the Sylmar Recreation Center.
Police said the man had been wandering around Monday night and somehow ended up on the roof of the center, then in the chimney, where he got stuck.
About 11:30 p.m., firefighters got a cellphone call from the man, who said he was stuck inside a “hole” at the center. When firefighters arrived, the caller was nowhere to be seen.
“It’s nighttime, in the middle of the night. I don’t know what the lighting conditions were at the time, but if he was ducked down it would be hard to find him,” said Los Angeles police Sgt. Karen Spencer. “It’s unusual.”
Crews started blasting their siren, then used his yells in response to zero in on him. The man was finally found and hoisted to safety, then arrested on suspicion of trespassing.
Spencer said the man did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
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