Man believed to be on drugs gets stuck under steel beam after breaking into Upland hospital ceiling

UPLAND, Calif. (KABC) -- A man believed to be on drugs was rescued Monday night after he became trapped underneath a beam when he broke into the ceiling of an Upland hospital emergency room, and the wild rescue was all caught on video.

It happened Monday around 9 p.m. at the San Antonio Regional Hospital.

According the Upland Police Department, a man broke through some ceiling tiles in one of the emergency room restrooms and got stuck.

Police the man was a walk-in patient who was believed to be under the influence of drugs. In body camera footage posted on the department's X page, you can see the man wedged between an HVAC unit and a steel beam.

"Once officers got there, we confirmed on surveillance footage that the subject was seen going into the restroom and never coming out," said police in the X post. "Officers were initially unable to see the subject, did not get a response when calling out for anyone inside the ceiling, and determined where he would likely be based on adjacent walls being fire or structural and going up the length of the building."

Due to the tight space, wires and HVAC lines, officers had to use a pole camera to look into the ceiling.

Within moments, the man was found on top of the HVAC unit, under the beam in the dark. He told officers he "was stuck and couldn't free himself."

Police said the man, who was not immediately identified, caused about $5,000 in damages to the ceiling, electrical, and HVAC system.

The suspect was arrested for felony vandalism and taken to the county jail. Police said while he was there, he "pointed out the concrete ceilings."

Police said there were no interruptions to emergency room services, and no injuries were reported.