PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A worker at a North Philadelphia rec center was taken into custody after a barricade situation overnight. Police said the man locked himself in a room and refused to leave, then tunneled his way to another room.
The bizarre situation happened at Belfield Recreation Center in Ogontz. Around 2 a.m. Thursday, police said the 41-year-old employee showed up to work even though he was not on the schedule, and he refused to leave when asked.
Officials said he locked himself inside a small office or storage area.
Police communicated with him throughout the night, but eventually the man stopped responding. SWAT officers breached the door to check on the man’s condition, but he wasn’t inside.
“They didn’t know where he was,” said Chief Inspector Scott Small, “whether he was in the wall or if he climbed up into the ceiling. Turns out after a search, he climbed up into the ceiling, crawled along through the ceiling into an adjoining room.”
Small said the man will receive the “treatment that he needs” and not face charges.
However, there was some damage to the rec center during the ordeal, and Small said the man may have to deal with those consequences.
The investigation is ongoing.
Police say the man locked himself in a room and refused to leave
Police say the man locked himself in a room and refused to leave
