CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 13-year-old boy had to be freed from a claw machine after he climbed inside hoping to score a prize, according to an official at a North Carolina amusement park.
Photos from a fanpage for the park posted to Facebook appear to show the boy sitting in the machine while park employees and a sheriff's deputy stand nearby as they attempt to free him.
Carowinds officials were alerted just before 2 p.m. Sunday that the boy was inside the Cosmic XL Bonus Game, which contained plush prizes, according to Courtney C. McGarry Weber, a spokesperson for the park south of Charlotte.
The Cosmic XL machine, according to the manufacturer's website, stands nine feet tall and is designed to house multiple oversized plushes, making it much larger than the average claw machine and — apparently — capable of housing a child.
The medical response team unlocked the machine and the boy was able to get out, she said. He was treated and released from first aid to his guardian.
The boy has been banned from the park for one year for attempted theft, Weber said.
Despite the deputy's presence in the photos, the boy is not facing any charges related to the bungled caper, according to the Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail also mentioned a similar situation in Florida in 2018 where a young boy tried to steal a stuffed toy from a claw machine at a restaurant but ended up stuck inside.
Firefighters reportedly had to help that child escape the machine.