Missing boy, 4, discovered inside claw machine as he ‘risked all of it’ for a stuffed animal
Heitor Cardozo, four, was playing in the kids’ area of a pizzeria in São João de Meriti, near Rio de Janeiro, when he suddenly vanished – only to be found inside a claw machine
Brazil: Young boy gets trapped inside toy grabber machine
A panicked mum and dad were left gobsmacked after they discovered their missing four-year-old lad trapped inside a claw machine.
Luana Cardozo and Fábio Oliveira had been taking it in turns to watch little Heitor in the children’s play area of a pizzeria last Wednesday (October 22) when he suddenly disappeared.
Remarkably, the mischievous tot had managed to squeeze into the glass toy grabber, surrounded by plush animals. Customers and workers watched in amazement as the tiny adventurer sat among the soft toys, before a security guard intervened to safely extract him, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Luana, 27, said: “We were celebrating my nephew’s birthday with the family, and my son was playing in the kids’ area.
“My husband and I were taking turns keeping an eye on him.
“The moment my husband came over to call me to the table, it only took a few minutes for him to end up inside the machine.”
The hairdresser confessed she was terrified when she spotted her son confined inside the claw machine at Sem Limite Pizzeria in São João de Meriti, near Rio de Janeiro – but relief swiftly followed.
She said: “I never imagined he could squeeze through such a tiny space in the machine.
“Not even the play area staff saw it happen. He was just too quick.
“I was terrified when I saw him trapped, but thank God he wasn’t hurt.”
Following the drama, Heitor strolled out of the restaurant beaming and clutching a plush toy prize of his own.
Luana chimed in: “Heitor’s always up to something! He risked it all for a teddy bear.
“It was a scare, but thank God he’s fine, and the staff at Sem Limite Pizzeria did an excellent job getting him out of the machine!”.
It comes after a 13-year-old boy became trapped in a claw machine at a theme park after climbing inside, hoping to steal a prize.
A series of snaps shared on Facebook by the Carowinds Fans Only page show the unnamed teen sitting inside the Cosmic XL Bonus Game after his plan to nick one of the toys inside the cage went awry.
Staff members at the amusement park, a sheriff’s deputy, and baffled passers-by could also be seen surrounding the scene of the unfortunate incident before the teen was eventually freed from his theme park prison.
The cheeky snaps were captioned: “No one will know…”, seemingly in reference to the teen’s failed attempt at theft being on display for all to see.
