Emergency services rushed to the scene when a three-year-old, Ethan Hopper, found his way into a claw machine at Capalaba Shopping Centre in Brisbane. Ethan was playing with the claw machine and decided to climb inside, believing it would be a more effective strategy to secure a toy.
Ethan’s father, Tim, recounted the incident to The Courier Mail, stating, “A huge crowd gathered and were all pointing and entertained when Ethan started getting all that attention from the crowd. He started showing off and enjoying it even more, thinking he was the king. At one point, he yelled out ‘free toys’ and began tossing toys to the amused onlookers.”
Tim called the company that makes the claw machine and they “kept asking me if I had money stuck in the machine, and I said the only thing stuck in the machine is my three-year-old son.”
In a video capturing the rescue mission, police can be seen instructing the adventurous toddler to position himself at the rear of the machine and cover his eyes. Their goal: to shatter the glass and liberate Ethan from his toy haven.
Fortunately, the rescue was successful, with little Ethan emerging unscathed and even gaining a sizable toy as a prize.
Watch the video here.
Ethan and the Police: 1
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) January 31, 2024
Claw Machine: 0
Police were called in to rescue the adventurous Ethan, who had crawled up into a toy machine at a Capalaba shopping centre on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/E7szqYznjI
