Would-Be Burglar Gets Stuck in Chimney

Burglar Stuck in Chimney Gets Rescued – And Arrested

Santa didn’t arrive early this year. Quite the reverse. A burglar attempting to rob a home got himself stuck as he slid down the home’s chimney Santa-style and had to be rescued by firefighters.

According to USA Today, police in Claremont CA received calls about sounds of screaming coming from a local home on October 1.  At about 10 a.m., callers reported hearing someone screaming for help from a house in the 700 block of Via San Simon.

Firefighters Called to Rescue Burglar

When police responded to the call, they discovered that the screams were coming from the home’s chimney. Realizing that someone was stuck at the bottom of the chimney, they summoned firefighters to the scene to conduct the rescue efforts.

The Los Angeles County Fire personnel dispatched to the scene were somehow able to get the stuck burglar out of the chimney, reports a local Channel 5 news affiliate. He was hospitalized for dehydration and exhaustion. Oh yes, he was also placed under arrest for attempted burglary.

Chimney Burglar Identified and Jailed

Police determined that the man became stuck in the chimney because he was attempting to use it as a point of entry so he could burglarize the home. They identified him as Michael Arciniega, a 24-year-old West Covina man.

Arciniega was arrested for burglary, police said. Officers told the media they were going to hold him at the Claremont Police Department jail on $50,000 bail. He was set to be arraigned at the Pomona Superior Court.

Burglars Regularly Thwarted by Chimneys in Entry Attempts

Burglars clearly don’t read the news in the media. Otherwise they would know that attempting to enter a home through a chimney to commit burglary seldom works.  Last year, a 32-year-old man in Citrus Heights, CA was arrested for attempted burglary when he was caught in a chimney he was trying to slide down.

Sometimes the attempt can prove fatal. Another burglar trying to enter a home via the chimney – and also in California; this time Fresno – died when the unsuspecting homeowner lit a fire in the fireplace. Hearing the man’s screams, the homeowner quickly extinguished the fire and called the 911 for help. Firefighters rushed to the scene and smashed the brick chimney open with sledgehammers. But the would-be burglar had succumbed to smoke inhalation.

Deep Sentinel Could Have Prevented the Chimney Burglary Attempts

These chimney burglars could have been spared their troubles – and even death – if the home residents had Deep Sentinel on the job. Deep Sentinel security system company  deploys AI-enhanced cameras that monitor the entire perimeter of a home’s property. If the system detects an intruder, it alerts live Deep Sentinel surveillance agents who quickly view the activity on their monitor screens. They can question suspicious intruders and tell them visa speaker that the police will be called if they do not leave. The reliable, wireless home security system is designed to keep burglars from even getting to the front door – or in these instances, up to the chimney.