A man died after somehow getting trapped upside-down inside of a clothing donation box, according to police — who were alerted when he called 911, crying, “I can’t breathe!”
The unidentified man frantically called 911 around 1:30 a.m. Monday morning after climbing inside of the donation box behind a shopping center in Spring, Texas, north of Houston, cops said.
Responders arrived within minutes, but could not save him in time, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said.
He became trapped in an “awkward position” that “affected his breathing,” Constable Mark Herman told KHOU.
“Even on the 911 call, he’s heard saying I can’t breathe, I’m having problems breathing,” Herman said.
Although it was not immediately clear how or why the victim got inside the box, he may have been homeless, Herman said, using it as a warning to others to stay out of them.
“These boxes are not to be accessed. They’re clearly designed and built that way.”
Arms for Hope, the Christian nonprofit that operates the clothing box, said it was aware of the man’s death.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the individual and their loved ones during this difficult time,” the organization said.
In August, a woman died after she got her head stuck inside of a clothing donation box in Lodi, California.
Another woman attempting to retrieve donated clothing or shoes from a donation bin in Florida died after she got partially stuck.
