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Ieyasu Tokugawa
Guest
Former employee trapped for seven hours in air vent 'after trying to break into restaurant'
Last updated at 2:20 PM on 2nd November 2010
A suspected burglar wasn't so much caught red-handed, more red faced after becoming stuck in the vent shaft of an American restaurant. Authorities in Virginia believe the man, a former employee, climbed onto the roof and attempted to descent into Harold's Family Grill via the narrow tube. However the man become wedged and was stuck for nearly seven hours before the owner of the restaurant discovered his feet dangling over the kitchen grill.
Stuck: A man was discovered dangling from an air vent at a restuarant in Virginia Beach. He was stuck for seven hours before firefighters could free him
Tom Mills, who owns Halloween World next door, said: 'We don't generally open to five fire trucks and three EMS squads and two police cars. Not usually. Even in the Halloween business, we don't.' Firefighters worked for almost two hours to free the man. 'We had to disable the ventilation system. Also, his fire suppression system was disabled,' said Ken Pravetz, battalion chief for the Virginia Beach, VA Fire Department. 'So, he's going to be out of business for at least the day, probably longer.'
Easy access: The intruder is believed to have climbed onto the low roof and attempted to enter Harold's Family Grill via the vent
But the intruder didn't stay free for very long. After his release from the vent he was taken to a local hospital and questioned by police. He is likely to face charges of breaking and entering. Police say the intruder, who was a former restaurant employee, could face charges of breaking and entering.
