A 33-year-old man, Robert Langlais, is in custody after a bizarre incident in Fall River, Massachusetts. On Tuesday evening, the police executed a search warrant at 127 Canal Street, prompting Langlais to attempt a rooftop escape, USA Today reported. However, he became stuck in a chimney. Bodycam footage from the Fall River Police Department shows detectives discovering Langlais and calling for assistance from the fire department to rescue him.
“You’re an idiot,” an officer can be heard saying as they shined a torch on the trapped man. “Show us your hands.” The fire department and Emergency Medical Services broke the chimney to free Langlais, who was then taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
“On the evening of December 10, 2024, Detectives of the Community Action & Suppression Team (CAST) executed a search warrant for 127 Canal Street. During the search warrant application, two males fled from the residence via rooftop,” police said in a statement released on Wednesday regarding the incident.
“During the application of said search warrant, two males fled from the residence via rooftop. One male eluded capture by bounding from the roof and onto 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 a chimney. Langlais quickly became stuck in the chimney and required the assistance of the very detectives he was previously fleeing from. Due to his Santa-antics, Langlais was transported to a local hospital out of precaution and was medically cleared,” the statement added.
He has since been arrested and charged with multiple offences including outstanding warrants and possession of drugs. Langlais was rescued before being “formally arrested for Possession of Class A drugs, Possession of Class B drugs and a slew of charges from outstanding warrants,” police said in the Facebook post.
Meanwhile, the Facebook post went viral, prompting several amused reactions from the public. One user said, “So this is the whole story about the “chimney sweeper” that made the 6 o’clock news all the way down here in Florida.” Another commented, “Perfection! Whoever wrote this deserves a seat at my table, humour is ALWAYS appreciated!”
