Authorities say a 15-year-old boy is now free following a terrifying ordeal that began late on Thursday when one of his buddies unintentionally locked him in a vault at an abandoned Brooklyn building.
The adolescent and two companions entered the dilapidated, abandoned spice warehouse on Franklin Avenue and Montgomery Street in Crown Heights through a gap in the fence and a previously pried-open back door, according to police. They were touring the factory when they came across an open, 4-foot by 4-foot vault.
Another youngster locked the door behind him as one of the teens entered. It was soon obvious that the door had become locked.
The second adolescent dialed 911 right away, and firefighters arrived at the scene right away.
FDNY Rescued The Boy
Firefighters worked to cut the door's hinges and force the door open. In an effort to release the teen, who they claimed to have been speaking to during the entire procedure, they cut through an eighth of an inch of steel and fifteen inches of masonry.
There was eventually enough of a hole for the terrified teen to wiggle out of, though it wasn't immediately obvious for how long he had been stuck. At the site, he was examined by emergency workers before being met by his father. Although it is unlikely that the youngster will face charges, Gimpel wanted to use the situation as an opportunity to address parents and teenagers.
For the firefighters to intervene, the adolescents had to explain how they gained entry, which they did by crawling underneath a fence at the back of the structure.
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