Trapped Man Uses Handwritten Note to Escape ATM Machine

We all secretly hope to get a little extra something from the ATM when we withdraw cash, but these Bank of America customers received more than they bargained for.

When customers tried to use this ATM machine in Corpus Christi, Texas, they were given a note that they initially thought was a prank.

“Please help,” the note read. “I’m stuck in here, and I don’t have my phone. Please call my boss.”

There was a phone number attached to the note.

Finally, a female customer took it seriously and called 9-1-1, and then the number on the note. Sure enough, the mysterious person in the ATM machine was rescued by the police and his boss.

The man in the machine was identified as James Portillo, who works as a contractor. He got stuck in the room the ATM is located in while attempting to fix the lock on the door. He later explained that he dropped his drill when he was about to walk out of the room. When he bent to pick it up, the door closed and got jammed, trapping him inside.

James Portillo had left his phone in his truck, and could not get out on his own. His only hope was to slip notes through the ATM slot in order to get someone’s attention. Portillo’s boss and the police arrived on the scene.

Even the cops thought it was a prank, until they heard his faint voice coming from the machine. Police had to kick down the door to the ATM room. After being trapped for two hours, Portillo was freed.

Officer Richard Olden was happy that the contractor escaped unharmed, but still expressed disbelief at the situation.

“You will never see this in your life, that somebody was stuck in the ATM,” Olden said to Fox News. “It was just crazy.”