Police: Gwinnett burglary suspect is no Santa, gets stuck in chimney

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By George Mathis

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A burglar trying to emulate Santa Claus was captured after getting stuck in a chimney, police said Tuesday.

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Gwinnett firefighters said the 16-year-old had been trapped in the chimney for more than 10 hours in an attempted break-in of a Norcross home.

Channel 2 Action News Gwinnett firefighters said the 16-year-old had been trapped in the chimney for more than 10 hours in an attempted break-in of a Norcross home.

Gwinnett County Jail Ranaldo Jack.

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RanaldoMontez Jack, 17, was arrested about 1:30 p.m. after being pulled from the chimney of a home in the 5900 block of Lanier Boulevard, police said.

Edyn Rodriguez, told Channel 2 Action News that he was standing in his driveway when he heard cries coming from across the street.

“He said, ‘Help me! Help me!” Rodriguez said. “Man, never in my life! … I called 911.”

Channel 2 was there when the home’s owner came home from working overnight. She had no idea someone was stuck in her chimney until the TV crew told her.

“Oh my God. That scares me to death,” Tsehainesh Kidane said. “Why did he figure out (to go) through the chimney?”

Jack told rescuers with the Gwinnett County Fire Department that he had been stuck in the chimney since about 3 a.m. Firefighters pulled him from the chimney, and police brought him down a ladder and placed him under arrest on the ground.

Jack has been charged with burglary and giving false information to a police officer, said Gwinnett police Cpl. Jake Smith. Channel 2 reported that the teen allegedly gave police a false name, but an officer who had dealt with him before recognized him.

The suspect was being held without bond Tuesday night in Gwinnett County Detention Center.