Santa-like ‘antics’ leave man fleeing police in a tight spot, Massachusetts video shows

A man fleeing from police discovered he’s no Santa Claus when he became stuck inside a chimney, Massachusetts police reported.

“You’re an idiot,” a disgusted officer tells the man when police find him wedged in the chimney, a bodycam video posted by the Fall River Police Department on Facebook shows.

The incident began when two men ran away as police served a search warrant on a home on Tuesday, Dec. 10, police said.

The video shows officers chasing after the men in the dark.

“Hey, he’s on the roof!” an officer shouts.

“Hey, get down here,” another officer shouts. “Show your hands or I’m gonna come up there and grab you!”

One of the men jumps off the roof and over a fence, the video shows. As officers chase after him, they run into a bystander walking his dog who tells them the second man went down the chimney.

Officers scramble up onto the roof and peer down the chimney, finding the man wedged inside, the video shows. They check to be sure he can breathe and call for help.

Firefighters later pull the man from the fireplace, the video shows.

Officers took the man to be checked at a hospital because of his “Santa-antics,” police said.

The 33-year-old man was arrested on charges of drug possession and outstanding warrants, police said. The person who jumped from the roof eluded police.

Fall River is about a 50-mile drive south from Boston.

This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Santa-like ‘antics’ leave man fleeing police in a tight spot, Massachusetts video shows."