A 15-year-old boy became trapped inside an 11-inch drainage pipe while sledding in Newton, Kansas, on Jan. 24.
The teen — whose identity has not been publicly released — was sledding with a friend on the golf course at Sand Creek Station, the Newton Fire/EMS Division said in a Jan. 24 Facebook post.
According to the agency, the boy fell off his sled feet-first and slipped into the small drainage pipe, where he got stuck. His friend ran to notify a nearby neighbor, who called 911. When first responders arrived, they found the boy wedged inside the pipe with only his fingertips visible at ground level.
“Two firefighters were able to grab his hands and pull him out by hand,” Newton Fire/EMS Division reported. He was safely removed and taken to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition before later returning home.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, the Newton Fire/EMS Division followed up on Facebook after receiving questions about the rescue. The agency shared a photo of the opening with a measuring tape and confirmed that a metal grate was meant to cover the hole. Officials said “the grate was found next to the hole and replaced after the rescue.”
The department also addressed skepticism about the incident, explaining the post was meant to highlight the importance of the buddy system — especially in extreme cold.
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“We posted the story to emphasize the importance of the good ol’ buddy system,” the agency wrote, noting that the situation could have ended tragically if the teen had been alone and unable to call for help.
Officials said responders returned later to measure the pipe’s interior diameter, adding, “Our priority was getting him out, not how he managed to get in.”
The agency also explained why there were no photos taken during the rescue, stating that firefighters do not wear body cameras and that their focus was on safety.
“We do not take photos of a scene until after life and safety have been secured,” the post said, adding that any photos taken afterward are only done when a patient’s privacy can be protected.
Newton Fire/EMS Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction Andy Harder emphasized that the quick call for help likely saved the teen’s life.
“I firmly believe that that individual is only alive because someone called for help,” Harder told KWCH. “If we would have been looking for him without knowing where he was at it would have been like looking for a needle in a hay stack.”
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Harder also warned that snowy conditions can hide hazards that are normally visible.
“With the snow covering the ground you definitely have to be aware of your surroundings because you can’t see what might be underneath the snow,” he told KWCH. “Is it a frozen lake or is it an open drainage hole?”
Sand Creek Station General Manager Dustin Housh said he initially doubted the teen could have fit into the pipe at all.
“My reaction initially was there’s just no way a person could fit in it,” Housh told KWCH. “I didn’t think it was possible so it seems to be kind of an incredible feat and I’m curious to how that happened.”
