advertisement

Three boys make it out of storm sewer on their own in Arlington Heights

Arlington Heights firefighters were called to rescue three boys from a backyard sewer Friday afternoon, but the boys made it out on their own, officials say.

Greg Ladden, who lives on Dryden Lane near Hintz Road in the Northgate subdivision, said he called authorities after seeing the boys - wearing helmets with lights - peeking their heads out of a storm sewer in his backyard. The boys didn't seem in distress, but Ladden called 911 out of concern.

Arlington Heights fire Lt. Ben Kimmel, who was on the scene, said firefighters were sent to the scene at 1:48 p.m. and were done by 4 p.m.

He said the boys were not at the scene when crews arrived, but firefighters did not yet have a report that they had made it out, so two tactical rescue teams were sent to search for them.

Police then notified firefighters the boys had made it out safely.

"We did not stop until we were confirmed that the children that we were looking for were out," Kimmel said.

Arlington Heights police Cmdr. Richard Boyle said police blocked traffic on the 2700 block of North Dryden for about a half-hour to 45 minutes until they were informed another resident had seen the boys emerge safely from the sewer north of the original scene.

The boys, he said, were cooperative and were uninjured.

"They were kids being kids," Boyle said. "They were exploring, just being kids."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.