Child rescued after getting stuck inside arcade claw machine

Boy gets stuck in arcade game in Titusville.

Titusville Fire Department officials said a 4-year-old boy who climbed inside a claw crane arcade game at a restaurant Wednesday night was rescued without injury— and even managed to snag the toys he was determined to retrieve.

Boy rescued after crawling inside arcade game

The boy crawled up through the machine's small door where a prize would typically fall, according to Titusville Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg Sutton. An off-duty lieutenant happened to be eating dinner in the Beef 'O' Brady's restaurant in the 2800 block of Garden Street when he noticed the boy was stuck inside.

Firefighter/EMT Kyle George, Lt. Michael Abernathy and Firefighter/Paramedic Roman Lane of Titusville Fire Rescue all helped rescue a child who got himself trapped in an arcade claw machine

Firefighter Lt. Michael Abernathy, fire medic Roman Lane and firefighter/emergency medical technician Kyle George responded to the call at 5:33 p.m. and were able to get the boy out by 5:41 p.m.

"Thankfully, he was never in any distress as one of our own lieutenants happened to be there off-duty and assessed the situation," Titusville Fire Department officials wrote in a Facebook post after the incident.

Boy gets stuck in arcade game in Titusville.

Though the machine had to be pried open, damage was minor.

"They did a really good job minimizing that," Sutton said.

Extraction, whether it be someone trapped in a wrecked car or a claw machine, is part of what firefighters train for, Abernathy said.

"We know what our tools can do," Abernathy said. "We arrived and we knew we couldn't pop the glass because that could injure the boy."  

The adults surrounding the machine were calm, while the boy was mildly agitated, firefighters said. 

"He became more distressed when we started ripping open the machine," Abernathy said.

The boy eventually got his hands on his coveted prize, a stuffed football — and a few others.

"He got four toys out, then went to have dinner with his family," Abernathy said.

The fire department fielded calls from news outlets across the country Thursday. The story and the photos of the brown-haired boy kneeling in the colorful pile of toys also was spread through social media. The firefighters said they were surprised the incident gained attention outside Brevard County, though they were disappointed to see the harsh words some people had for the parents.

"Children can get away from you in a second, and things can happen," Abernathy said. "People are being very critical of the parents when they don't know what they would do in that same situation. It could happen to any child." 

Boy gets stuck in arcade game in Titusville.

More:Merritt Island man crashes into BCFR building