Man gets arm stuck inside claw machine in S. Taiwan

南台灣一名男子手臂卡在娃娃機裡

Man trying to pluck stuffed Snoopy gets arm stuck in claw machine in Tainan, Taiwan


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- A man found himself in quite a jam as his arm became stuck in a claw machine while trying to retrieve a stuffed Snoopy doll that had failed to fall all the way down the hatch at a crane game arcade in southern Taiwan on Sunday (March 31), reported UDN.

At 9 p.m. on Sunday evening, a man surnamed Tu (杜) had successfully selected a stuffed Snoopy doll inside a claw machine, but when it started to drop down the hatch, it became stuck before reaching the retrieval bay. Tu first called the owner of the claw machine arcade and he agreed to let Tu try to retrieve it himself.

As Tu snaked his left arm up the hatch and grabbed the Snoopy doll, his hand became stuck inside the machine. Police officers who just happened to be patrolling nearby and asked him "Why are you lying down under the machine?"


Snoopy doll (center), man's hand (right). (Tainan Police Department photo)

Tu explained that he had tried to retrieve a large stuffed animal that had become trapped in the hatch, but became stuck in the process. Police then called the fire department to try to extricate him from the machine.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they prepared to break the lock to the machine. However, the arcade owner soon arrived on the scene and unlocked the crane game.

Firefighters said that Tu's arm had contusions and was swollen, but he did not require hospitalization.

The owner of the shop confirmed that he saw Tu on video actually win the doll and confirmed that Tu had called him to obtain permission to try to manually retrieve it. Police said that because the owner had given consent to retrieve the doll, Tu would not be charged with theft.

Police urged members of the public to not try to reach inside claw machines themselves, because they could easily suffer injuries. Instead, they recommend calling the arcade's owner and waiting for him to unlock the machine.


Tu (right)with arm still stuck in machine. (Tainan Police Department photo)