A bizarre escape attempt featuring a man fleeing police in Fall River, Massachusetts, who took inspiration from Santa Claus—but his criminal take on chimney diving didn’t go as planned.
According to Fall River Police, Robert Langlais, 33, tried to evade arrest by scaling a rooftop and diving into a chimney, only to find himself firmly stuck. “Langlais invoked the essence of the seasonal icon and attempted to hide inside of a chimney,” the police stated. His peculiar choice of escape earned him the nickname “Ghetto Santa” as he awaited rescue from the very officers he was fleeing.
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The drama began when detectives from the Community Action & Suppression Team (CAST) executed the warrant. Langlais and another male attempted to escape via the rooftop. While the second individual leapt to freedom onto a parked vehicle, Langlais’ getaway ended in the narrow confines of the chimney. Unable to free him, detectives called the Fall River Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services for assistance.
Police bodycam footage, shared on social media, captured the rescue effort. In the clip, officers are heard locating Langlais and remarking, “You’re an idiot,” upon discovering his unconventional hiding spot. The video, lasting 3 minutes and 40 seconds, shows firefighters carefully extracting the suspect from the chimney.
After being freed, Langlais was transported to a local hospital as a precaution before being medically cleared and formally arrested. He faces charges of possession of Class A and Class B drugs alongside a series of outstanding warrants.
A second individual, 32-year-old Tanisha Ibay, was also arrested at the residence for drug possession, though her arrest lacked the theatrics of her accomplice’s rooftop escapade.
