Man Found Trapped In Hotel Air Conditioning Duct
POSTED: 11:22 am EDT October 17, 2006
UPDATED: 6:10 pm EDT October 17, 2006
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Rescue workers and police rushed to a swanky South Beach hotel Tuesday morning after hotel workers found a man stuck in a duct.
Hotel employees at the Shore Club called police around 5 a.m. Tuesday when they found the man, later identified as Hal Lloyd Winter, trapped in an air conditioning duct, wearing only a bathing suit.
Related Content: Images
"They heard him screaming and pounding on the wall," said Morgan Hotels spokesman Gerald McKelvey. "They had a pretty good idea someone was inside the wall."
It took an hour and a half for fire-rescue workers to cut through drywall and get to the man.
Authorities said the man had apparently entered from the roof by prying the lid from a ventilation intake, then crawling and falling inside the ductwork. He fell 30 feet, suffering injuries to his ankles.
The man told his rescuers he had been stuck for days, NBC 6's Nick Bogert reported. Police said they doubt that.
The commotion was pretty much over by daybreak, and many guests and hotel workers said they were unaware that anything odd had happened.
"That's pretty surprising," said hotel store worker Jolene Otto, who said she hadn't heard anyone talking about the incident at the hotel.
Authorities said Winter was dressed only in a T-shirt and bathing suit and had no burglary tools with him.
"He had a few drinks, and he decided he wanted to check out the internal part of the AC system," said Miami Beach police Officer Bobby Hernandez.
The arrest report quoted Winter as saying, "I was drunk. I was stupid," and said he then stopped talking. He will face charges of trespassing and giving police a false name at first.
Copyright 2006 by NBC6.net The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
POSTED: 11:22 am EDT October 17, 2006
UPDATED: 6:10 pm EDT October 17, 2006
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Rescue workers and police rushed to a swanky South Beach hotel Tuesday morning after hotel workers found a man stuck in a duct.
Hotel employees at the Shore Club called police around 5 a.m. Tuesday when they found the man, later identified as Hal Lloyd Winter, trapped in an air conditioning duct, wearing only a bathing suit.
Related Content: Images
"They heard him screaming and pounding on the wall," said Morgan Hotels spokesman Gerald McKelvey. "They had a pretty good idea someone was inside the wall."
It took an hour and a half for fire-rescue workers to cut through drywall and get to the man.
Authorities said the man had apparently entered from the roof by prying the lid from a ventilation intake, then crawling and falling inside the ductwork. He fell 30 feet, suffering injuries to his ankles.
The man told his rescuers he had been stuck for days, NBC 6's Nick Bogert reported. Police said they doubt that.
The commotion was pretty much over by daybreak, and many guests and hotel workers said they were unaware that anything odd had happened.
"That's pretty surprising," said hotel store worker Jolene Otto, who said she hadn't heard anyone talking about the incident at the hotel.
Authorities said Winter was dressed only in a T-shirt and bathing suit and had no burglary tools with him.
"He had a few drinks, and he decided he wanted to check out the internal part of the AC system," said Miami Beach police Officer Bobby Hernandez.
The arrest report quoted Winter as saying, "I was drunk. I was stupid," and said he then stopped talking. He will face charges of trespassing and giving police a false name at first.
Copyright 2006 by NBC6.net The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
