Imagine going to an ATM to get some cash, and instead of a receipt, you get an eerie plea for help scrawled on a slip of paper.
That’s exactly what happened to customers at a Bank of America branch in Corpus Christi, Texas, Wednesday afternoon, after a repairman got stuck inside a room connected to the machine.
“Please Help Im stuck here and I don’t have my phone please call my boss,” the note read in part.
“Apparently he left his cellphone and the swipe card he needed to get out of the room outside in his truck,” Corpus Christi police Lt. Chris Hooper told The Associated Press.
Man gets stuck in ATM, slips ‘please help’ notes through receipt slot https://via.wghp.com/PJMam
The trapped man was stuck for about two hours, according to CBS New York anchors who could barely contain their laughter (above) while describing the situation.
Corpus Christi police officer Richard Olden told NBC affiliate KRIS TV that some people who saw the note initially thought it was a joke. Luckily for the repairman — a contract worker who has not been identified — someone took it seriously and called for help.
But even police weren’t totally convinced it was for real.
“We come out here, and sure enough we can hear a little voice coming from the machine,” Olden said. “So we are thinking this is a joke. It’s got to be a joke.”
Police freed the repairman by kicking down the door to the room where he was trapped.
No one was harmed, but a few traumatized ATM users may think twice the next time they reach for the receipt slot.