Teenage Burglar Stuck In A Chimney Rescued Then Arrested

A teenage burglar became trapped after he attempted to gain access to a home by climbing down a chimney, only to get stuck part-way down.

The 16-year-old had to rescued from the chimney of the California home on Tuesday morning because of his error. Firefighters were called to the home after neighbors heard screams, which they mistook for a woman calling for help, from within the chimney and they then called the emergency services.

Firefighters then arrived on the scene and found the boy stuck around 10 feet down the chimney, which he had attempted to go down feet first, and now he had his arms stuck above his head.

The home that the teenager had tried to gain access to was Pat Hawkins’ abode, and the North Hills residence is in the 9700 block of Orion Avenue.

Hawkins arrived home to witness the commotion, and then identified the teenager as a friend of her grandson’s who had spent a substantial amount of time in her home in the past.

Hawkins was flummoxed by the attempted burglary, telling KCal news, “I can’t believe it. I can’t fathom that he would do something like this. I just can’t fathom it.”

In order to get the boy out of the chimney, firefighters were forced to cut a hole in the side of a wall in the home. This entire ordeal lasted for around 30 minutes, and it required the services of around a dozen firefighters.

They even needed to use a specialized rope system that allowed them to bring the buy out of the chimney. The boy struggled to breathe within his claustrophobic environment and oxygen was pumped down the chimney to assist his attempts.

Lieutenant Paul Vernon remarked, “This one here wasn’t playing with a full deck of cards. A lot of people think they can get down chimneys. Chimneys are not accessible for a human body, even a 16-year-old boy.”

The boy has been taken to hospital, where he will be treated for minor injuries, and upon his release he will then be arrested.