BANGKOK — Emergency services rescued a 28-year-old American man trapped in a drainage pipe beneath a condominium building in Bangkok’s Jom Thong district on the morning of July 14, 2025, following reports from the property’s management.
Responders from Bang Khun Thien Police Station arrived at a condominium on Kalpapruek Road around 8:00 a.m. after being alerted that a foreign male had become lodged between reinforced concrete slabs lining a canal behind the property. The man, later identified only as “Jack,” was found lying unclothed in the drainage area, with his legs visibly extending from the pipe opening near the waterway.
Personnel from the Por Teck Tung Foundation and Bangkok’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department were dispatched to the site with cutting and drilling tools. Despite his clear inability to escape, the man repeatedly refused help, insisting in English that he did not require assistance. According to officials, Jack also attempted to retreat further into the narrow space and was heard shouting unintelligibly.
Rescue workers eventually entered the confined space, using cloth restraints to secure Jack’s upper body before lifting him from the crevice. A secondary team stationed in the canal assisted by pushing his legs from the pipe. During the extraction, the man bit a rescue worker’s watch strap and later chewed on it.
Once brought to the surface, he continued to behave erratically, spitting at personnel and speaking incoherently. Emergency responders placed a medical mask over his mouth and secured him to a backboard before transferring him for medical evaluation.
Initial assessments found only minor scrapes, but his behavior suggested possible substance use, with symptoms including paranoia and fear. A foreign resident from the building assisted as a translator during the incident.
Jack, who claimed to live at the condominium with a Thai partner, was unable to explain how or why he entered the drainage system. He was later taken to Somdet Chao Phraya Hospital for treatment and psychiatric assessment. Authorities are working to contact his relatives and the U.S. Embassy. The condominium management is reviewing his claimed residence at the property.
