Police use robots to rescue man trapped in 36-inch drainpipe

Oxnard police used the robots to help pinpoint the man’s location in the rescue, the Ventura County Fire Department said in a post to X

September 15, 2024 08:00 AM

By Don Sweeney
The Charlotte Observer

OXNARD, Calif. — A man found trapped inside a 36-inch drainpipe required robot technology for his rescue, California firefighters reported.

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Oxnard police used robots to help pinpoint the man’s location in the rescue Sunday evening, Sept. 8, the Ventura County Fire Department said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.

The department’s urban search and rescue team extricated the man, who was taken to a hospital to be checked, firefighters said.

He was in stable medical condition, firefighters said.

Authorities did not say how the man was found or what he was doing in the drainpipe.

A video with the post shows firefighters gathered around a partially excavated drainpipe as they pull the man free and carry him to an ambulance.

Oxnard is about a 60-mile drive west from Los Angeles.

#potreroincident ; VCFD Captain Clayton Cundiff providing a detailed description of the confined space rescue this evening off Potrero Road in the area of Lake Sherwood. Thanks to our partnerships with Oxnard Fire, Oxnard PD and VCSO, the 37 y/o victim was located after an… pic.twitter.com/yBBDlxSsFW
— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) September 9, 2024

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