Chinese man rescued from ‘zip tie escape challenge’ after delivery man alerts police
A Chinese man attempting an online zip tie escape challenge at home had to be rescued by firefighters after he became trapped in a precarious situation.
Photo: QQ.com A Chinese man who became trapped while taking part in a viral “zip tie escape challenge” at home called for help and was rescued by a passing delivery man.
The case involving the man from Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province was recently reported by the local fire department to raise public awareness.
A delivery man passing by the man’s rented home heard him calling for help and notified the police.
Firefighters arrived, prised open the gate and discovered the man tied up tightly on a bed.
A police officer forces open the gate at the entrance to the trapped man’s home.
Photo: QQ.com He was wrapped in a cotton quilt, then tied by a fishing net and lastly, tied up by several long zip ties from his neck all the way to his ankles.
Temperatures in Guangzhou have been around 20 degrees Celsius recently.
According to a firefighter, Liu Junjie, the man had done all the restraining himself.
He was taking part in a viral online challenge called “zip tie escape”, which features people tying themselves up before trying to free themselves.
A video posted last year showing a man successfully breaking free from such ties on his wrists and ankles went viral.
It amassed nearly 120,000 likes.
Some attempted to copy his success but trapped themselves.
They ended up calling food delivery service and waited for the delivery men to help set them free.
Some videos used failures to meet the challenge as a selling point, as many people found the challengers’ embarrassing situation and the delivery men’s reaction hilarious.
As the Guangzhou man’s case went viral online, many people were curious how he managed to tie himself up in such a way.
The man was eventually freed.
Firefighters said he could have killed himself.
Photo: QQ.com “If something were to happen to him, no one would believe it was not a crime scene,” said one online observer.
The firefighter did not explain how he managed it, but said that he almost killed himself with the two zip ties round his neck. “If he struggled a bit more, or if we arrived later than we did, those two zip ties might have killed him,” Liu said.
A selection of photographs shows people taking part in the zip tie escape challenge which has widely circulated online.
Photo: QQ.com “He should have learned his lesson now,” said another online commenter.
原文链接: 南华早报