This incident, unfolding on a Tuesday night in Fall River, Massachusetts, presents a bizarre tale of a botched police raid, a chimney escape attempt gone awry, and the eventual capture of a suspect who inadvertently mimicked Santa Claus in the most inconvenient way possible. The narrative begins with the Fall River Police Department attempting to execute a search warrant at a residence on Canal Street. As officers approached the front door, their presence alerted two men inside the house, triggering a frantic escape attempt that would quickly escalate into a comedic, yet precarious, situation.
Instead of surrendering, the two men chose the roof as their escape route, a decision that would lead to drastically different outcomes for each. While one suspect successfully leaped from the roof and onto a waiting car, making a clean getaway before the police could react, the other, identified as 33-year-old Robert Langlias, opted for a less conventional, and ultimately disastrous, escape route: the chimney. In a move seemingly inspired by the festive figure of Santa Claus, Langlias attempted to slide down the narrow flue, a decision that would soon prove to be his undoing.
Langlias’s descent down the chimney, however, came to an abrupt and embarrassing halt. He became firmly wedged within the narrow confines of the flue, his attempted escape transformed into a self-made trap. The officers, having witnessed this unusual escape attempt, quickly ascended to the roof, finding Langlias stuck fast within the chimney. Bodycam footage captured the scene, revealing Langlias’s predicament and the officers’ incredulity at his ill-advised choice of escape route.
The video footage, released by the Fall River Police Department, provides a comical yet poignant glimpse into the situation. It shows an officer, flashlight in hand, peering down at the trapped Langlias, uttering the succinct yet fitting assessment: “You’re an idiot.” The officers, while finding the situation absurd, confirmed that Langlias was, thankfully, able to breathe. Recognizing the need for professional extraction, they contacted the fire department to assist in freeing the chimney-bound suspect.
As Langlias waited for his rescue, the reality of his situation likely began to sink in. He pleaded with the very officers he had been trying to evade, a desperate plea captured in the bodycam footage: “Get me out of here, bro!” The firefighters arrived and commenced the delicate operation of dismantling the chimney brick by brick from inside the house, a necessary measure to extricate the trapped Langlias. The scene, undoubtedly surreal for all involved, culminated in Langlias’s eventual release and subsequent arrest.
Following his chimney ordeal, Langlias was transported to a local hospital as a precautionary measure. After receiving medical clearance, he was taken into custody. The charges against him include possession of Class A and Class B drugs, as well as a series of outstanding warrants. Meanwhile, his accomplice, who successfully fled the scene, remains at large. Another individual present at the property, 32-year-old Tanisha Ibay, was also arrested and charged with possession of Class A and Class B drugs. Her arrest, unlike Langlias’s, was uneventful and without the dramatic flair of a chimney escape attempt. The incident serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the potential consequences of ill-conceived escape plans, especially those inspired by fictional characters known for entering homes via chimneys.
