What to Know
- Hollywood Police officials said the 17-year-old was charged for entering the property of the shuttered Bank of America Wednesday
- The teen spent hours trapped in the vault before he was freed thanks to bank employees who found the vault code
A teen who spent hours trapped inside a vault at an abandoned Hollywood bank has been charged with trespassing, authorities said Friday.
Hollywood Police officials said the 17-year-old was charged for entering the property of the shuttered Bank of America at 901 South State Road 7 Wednesday.
According to an arrest affidavit, the teen said he and a friend ignored several "No trespassing" signs and entered the bank through a gap in the fence "because they were bored and wanted to find something to do."
While inside, they found the open bank vault and the teen entered and started touching buttons on the walls, the affidavit said. His friend told police the door to the vault, which has 2-foot thick walls, closed while the teen was inside.
Police officers, a tactical response team and a technician from the company that installed the vault responded and worked to free the teen, but after a few hours, Bank of America employees responded to the scene with a code for the vault door, and the teen was freed, the affidavit said.
Paramedics checked the teen out and he was allowed to leave with family members but now faces the trespassing charge.
