Trending Topics

‘Santa antics': Mass. man fleeing from detectives rescued by firefighters after trying to hide in chimney

Fall River police arrested the man on multiple charges after he was removed from his “seasonal bind” and medically cleared

By Brian Niemietz
New York Daily News

FALL RIVER, Mass. — A Massachusetts man fleeing police became stuck inside a chimney, requiring firefighters to assist in his arrest due to his “Santa antics.”

The City of Fall River Police Department released bodycam video Wednesday of a man who found himself in a seasonal bind after he and another man tried hiding on a roof when detectives with a warrant came to visit.

One of the men, identified as 32-year-old Tanisha Ibay, attempted to evade arrest by jumping off the roof and landing on a parked vehicle.

“The other male, later identified as Robert Langlais (age 33), invoked the essence of the seasonal icon and attempted to hide inside of a chimney,” Fall River Police wrote on Facebook. “Langlais quickly became stuck in the chimney and required the assistance of the very detectives he was previously fleeing from.”

Cops called in personnel from the Fall River Fire Department and emergency medical services to aid in the Tuesday night extraction.

First responders can be seen in the video asking the trapped suspect if he can breathe all right. Meanwhile, firefighters inside the home remove bricks from the chimney so the man can be removed horizontally from within the house.

“Due to his Santa-antics, Langlais was transported to a local hospital out of precaution and was medically cleared,” authorities said.

Langlais was arrested and charged with drug possession and “a slew of charges from outstanding warrants.” Ibay was also arrested, though “with less theatrics,” and hit with similar drug charges.

©2024 New York Daily News.
Visit nydailynews.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies worked to de-escalate for 40 minutes as the man stood in a pond and refused to come out; a deputy then used the lasso to take him into custody
Officers heard screams from outside the home and fired shots when they saw the man holding what appeared to be a rifle, striking him in the leg
“Of all the protests I’ve been involved in, which is well over a hundred now, I’m most proud of what I did today,” the man said in a social media post that included photos and video
Orange County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a man acting erratically on a roadway; they tried to speak with the suspect through a door before he emerged and tried to stab them