One shoplifting suspect in Batavia, New York, took an unusual escape route that ended up requiring a rescue by police and fire crews.

Wayne Rinker, 30, and Michael Delvalle, 21, allegedly stole items from a Kmart store. While Delvalle was taken into custody quickly, Rinker tried his luck with an escape route down a 300-foot manhole and into a drainpipe, according to a CNY Central report. 

After attempting to make contact and feeding a camera down the line to try to spot him to no avail, two deputies crawled in to grab the suspect, who had been in the drainpipe for four hours. Deputies report that Rinker was barely conscious, covered in mud and had suffered hypothermia.

“Not in our area have I seen this,” says Sgt. John Szumigala. “But you know when they’re trying to flee from an alleged crime … they’ll become inventive in what they’ll try to do to escape."

Rinker was charged with petit larceny and conspiracy.

Source: CNY Central