Maybe the high school student in California thought it was only an urban legend that trying to steal from a vending machine by reaching up through the slot can trap your arm inside the machine. Maybe he was just really thirsty. Either way, the would-be thief became trapped in a trolley station in the wee hours of the morning, requiring a team of paramedics, firefighters, police, and trolley security staff to open up the vending machine with power tools in order to free him.
Spending an hour trapped in the machine wasn’t punishment enough: the teen was also taken into custody, and may be charged with petty theft and have to pay the community back for the time of emergency services staff who freed him.
Teen Tries to Steal Soda, Gets Stuck in Vending Machine [NBC San Diego]








ear Mrs. Simpson, while we were rescuing your husband, a lumber yard burned down.
Guy: Homer, are you just holding on to the can?
Homer: Your point being….
Did he let go after missing the Ballet that he was supposed to go to with Marge? You know the one with the bear in the car.
D’oh!
What an idiot – totally deserves all the humiliation possible.
In other breaking news: California now has trolleys? Is that like a pram for adults?
That is what the light rail type system in San Diego is called – The San Diego Trolley.
“Now?” San Francisco is still in California, right?
Should have just cut his arm off, and left the amputated arm there as a warning to others.
I’m surprised he isn’t suing the vending company for producing an obviously dangerous soda machine.
Give it time.
Give it a couple days, lawsuits like this take time to fabricate!
Your point being?
Maybe he should have just let go of the soda. Is that you Beavis?
Ironically, the advertisement on the “shell” surrounding the machine says “It’s all within your reach.” Guess the kid thought the ad was referring to sodas instead of education.
In High School my skinny, flexible arms were perfect for raiding the first 4 levels of the Veryfine machine. Did I just age myself by mentioning I know what a Veryfine machine is?
This guy is a disgrace… he has no idea what it means to have an arm trapped. ~Aron Ralston
He should’ve just tipped the machine over and let Darwin take over.
- What happened to the vending machine?
- Oh, that’s a funny thing, that. I was carrying the fire extinguisher and I tripped and fell into it, repeatedly.
The kid will probably sue Coca Cola and win. Such is the world we live in today…
As the article states, I hope the kid or his parents get stuck for the whole bill on the services and the machine. And then the kid should get a good kick in the ass from his dad.
I know, I know…. Maybe it’s not nice to laugh at someone else’s misfortune…but..ROFL!!
I remember back in the 80s when you could get away with this with many of the can vending machines. The apartment complex my parents and I lived in back then.had a can vending machine by the swimming pool. Being a 12 year old and knowing how to get a free Coke always made me think I was cool. Then I turned 13 and decided I didn’t want to continue being a little punk thief.