Man Gets Locked Inside Bathroom, Waits 7 Hours For Rescue

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Photo credit Park Forest Police Department

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- How many people does it take to fix a broken bathroom doorknob?

According to the Park Forest Police Department, "Three firefighters, two police officers, and one trapped resident.”  

So what's the story?

It all started at about 11 p.m. Monday night, according to Park Forest Police Officer Ryan Purdy.  A man had gone to the bathroom in his home and when he went to exit, the lock was stuck. 

And since he could not get out...

“He was actually able to open the window that faces the front yard and he was just basically shouting," Purdy said.

Nobody heard him for hours.  

Purdy said the window was too small for the man to crawl out, so he spent the night alternating between shouting and trying to get the door open.  

According to the man, the bathroom doorknob malfunctioned earlier, so he decided to remove it. 

“And the door was working fine without it, but then I guess the locking mechanism closed and he ended up getting trapped,” Officer Purdy said. 

Causing the man to be stuck in the first-floor bathroom until 6 a.m. Tuesday, when he got the neighbor’s attention. 

“He actually flagged down one of his neighbors as they were leaving for work and asked them to call 911," police said. 

Purdy said three firefighters and two police officers showed up.  

“We were passing all these tools through the window. We eventually called the fire department. They were able to give him additional tools and he had actually removed the door from the hinges in order to get out," he said.

The man was relieved to finally get out, Purdy said.

"He said he had a lot of time to think about stuff and contemplate about stuff and he was just happy to get out.” 

Officer Purdy wrote on Facebook, “It’s not quite as glamorous as a Hollywood rescue scene, but we’ll take it.”