Australian police share video of officers rescuing 3-year-old boy who got stuck in a claw machine
Australian police had to come to the rescue of a young boy who got stuck inside a claw machine Saturday at shopping mall in the Brisbane suburb of Capalaba. Video of the incident posted on social media by the Queensland Police department shows the three-year-old, identified by the force only as Ethan, sitting amid stuffed animals after he crawled through the machine's dispenser.
The police said Ethan had climbed in "in pursuit of the ultimate prize," but then couldn't get back out.
Family members instructed Ethan to move to the far corner of the machine and cover his eyes while officers broke the glass to free the adventurous youngster, who appeared calm during the ordeal.
Ethan and the Police: 1
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) January 31, 2024
Claw Machine: 0
Police were called in to rescue the adventurous Ethan, who had crawled up into a toy machine at a Capalaba shopping centre on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/E7szqYznjI
On his return to the outside world, Ethan was met with cheers from his family, as well as a reward from a police officer, who said: "You won a prize! Which one do you want?"
Ethan's ordeal is not new. American kids — from North Carolina to Tennessee to Florida — have all gotten themselves stuck in claw machines in recent years.