A suspected thief had to be rescued after leading police on a chase and ending up stuck in a drainage culvert on the Main Line Sunday afternoon.
The man stole something from a CVS and fled from Lower Merion police officers into Radnor Township Sunday afternoon, sources with knowledge of the situation said. That’s where he allegedly ditched his vehicle and ran before getting stuck in the culvert.
"They observed him going into a drainpipe, which is a water runoff pipe, and then he disappeared from site in there," Radnor Township Police Superintendent Christopher Flanagan said.
The man was trapped under Conestoga Road at Locust Grove Terrace, the Radnor Township Police Department tweeted.
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"That's an extremely hazardous condition," Flanagan said.
The rescue took place near Robert Howard's backyard. “I just felt sorry for the poor guy getting stuck in the pipe, but yeah, must have been quite desperate," Howard told NBC10.
The department tweeted at 6:24 p.m. that the man was safely removed and taken to Lankenau Hospital for treatment. Howard said rescuers told him the man was found about 100 yards into the pipe.
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One woman had advice for other would-be thieves thinking of trying to make a great escape through a drainage culvert: Don't do it. Otherwise, “You’ll end up on the news looking like a not smart robber, I guess," she said with a laugh.
