A man was rescued from an air conditioning vent Tuesday afternoon after spending nearly 15 hours trapped in the dusty enclosure.
At 2:50 p.m., police responded to a report of calls for help near 3195 S. Lafayette Street, said Brad Johnson, an investigator for the Englewood Police Department.
After arriving, officers determined that the calls for help were coming from the roof of the Charles Hay World School.
Police climbed onto the roof and discovered a 28-year-old man trapped 30 feet down an air conditioning vent, Johnson said.
The Englewood Fire Department was called and crews cut open the vent to pull the man out. About an hour later, the man, whose name has not been released, was taken to Swedish Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.
The man told police he stole a friend’s purse Monday night and threw it onto the roof. When he climbed onto the roof to get the purse, he fell into the vent and became stuck. He told officers that he spent about 15 wedged inside the vent.
“Officers advised me that he looked like a chimney sweep,” Johnson said. “This guy is really lucky.”
The man was cited with theft, trespass and damage to property.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
