Pennsylvania

Watch: Man Trapped in Sewer for ‘A Couple Days' Rescued After Workers Hear His Cries for Help

“We just started hearing, ‘Help! Help! I’m stuck in a storm drain!’ We couldn’t see him. Only hear him."

What to Know

  • A man who had apparently been trapped inside an Allentown sewer for days was rescued after workers heard his cries for help.
  • NBC10 obtained videos of the unidentified man being rescued Tuesday morning.
  • The man was taken to the hospital. Officials have not yet revealed how the man ended up in the sewer in the first place.

Cries for help led to the startling discovery of a man who had apparently been trapped inside a sewer for several days in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The scene unfolded Tuesday around 7:50 a.m. while Josh Carl and other construction workers were at the Walnut Street Commons building on the 500 block of Walnut Street. Carl told NBC10 they heard the sound of a man yelling.

“We just started hearing, ‘Help! Help! I’m stuck in a storm drain!’ We couldn’t see him. Only hear him,” Carl said. “We couldn’t tell what direction it was coming from. He said he’d been there for a couple days.”

Carl called 911 and firefighters arrived. They tracked the man to a location underneath an area on Walnut and Law streets. They opened up a manhole cover and found the man underground.

“Lucky it was early,” Carl said. “Not too much noise because he was hard to hear. Very faint.”

Video obtained by NBC10 shows the man, who was barefoot and in his underwear, climbing out of the storm drain on a ladder set up by the rescuers. Another video shows him being held up by emergency workers who place him on a gurney.

The unidentified man, who officials say was showing signs of dehydration, was taken to the hospital. His condition has not yet been revealed.

Investigators are working to determine how the man ended up in the storm drain in the first place. They also said he’s fortunate there was no recent heavy rain as it could have swept him into a nearby creek.

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