Bianca Wooden
A 13-year-old had to be released from an amusement park claw machine by a medical team in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Videos by Rare
Park officials at Carowinds Amusement Park were notified right before 2 p.m. on Sunday that a patron was trapped inside the Cosmic XL Bonus Game. Reportedly, the boy had climbed into the machine in order to obtain one of the plush toys within.
Photos of the incident were uploaded to the park’s fan page on Facebook, Carowinds Fans Only. The images show the teen sitting inside the machine surrounded by plushies while employees work to get him out.
Boy Trapped Inside Claw Machine at Carowinds
According to the Daily Mail, the Cosmic XL is an unusually large claw machine. Measuring around 6.5 feet in height, 5 feet in width, and 5 feet in depth, there was more than enough sitting room inside the game for the teenage boy.
Local news outlet WSOC-TV reported that the response team was able to free him in about fifteen minutes. After unlocking the game, they administered first aid treatment and returned the young man to his guardian.
Amusement Park officials did not press charges against the teen for his failed attempt at theft, but they did ban the young culprit from Carowinds for a year.
“The safety and security of our guests and associates is Carowinds’ top priority,” said the officials.
Earlier this year, a 4-year-old girl was found in an arcade claw machine by her guardians while on vacation in Australia. Apparently, the small child had climbed inside to steal a prize on a dare from her older sisters. Thankfully, the adults were able to help the girl find a way out of her predicament without having to be rescued by staff. The incident was recorded on video by her mom, who thought it was pretty funny.
Has anyone considered inventing a more child-proof version of this game?
