Stuck in Vending Machine Boy, 17, May Face Charges

By Myles Collier, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, June 27, 2012

A boy in southern California learned the hard way that crime does not pay after he got his arm stuck in a vending machine while trying to steal a can of soda.

The 17-year-old boy, from National City, Calif. was at a trolley station around 5 a.m. last Saturday morning when he apparently was overrun with thirst, but lacking sufficiently money for the ice cold beverage. He decided to stick his arm through the retrieval slot located at the bottom of the vending machine and ended up being unable to remove his arm from the machine.

Local police explained that the boy, whose name was not released because he is a minor, is a student at Sweetwater High School and was seen by other passengers waiting for the trolley.

One concerned citizen noticed the teen's arm was stuck in the vending machine and called local authorities, which then dispatched paramedics and firefighters to the scene.

Emergency personnel arrived on scene and began to devise a plan to safely remove the teen's arm from the vending machine.

After the keys to the vending machine were unable to be located, rescuers decided that they had to use other means to free the young man- an axe and crowbar were used to open the door of the machine to no avail.

Eventually, rescue workers used a rotary saw and air chisel to take apart the vending machine and after about an hour, the teen's arm was safely removed, according to police.

Paramedics treated the teen on site for minor abrasions and soreness of his arm after he made several attempts to free himself.

The teen was then taken into custody, where police stated that he young man may face charges for petty theft.

Officials also explained the teen might also be responsible for covering the expenses for the rescue services as well as any damages to the vending machine, according to NBC San Diego.