Lure of Oreos leaves curious Leo trapped by vending machine for 6 hours

A little boy endured a traumatic afternoon after getting his arm stuck in a vending machine for more than six hours. There were cheers and applause when firefighters finally managed to free four-year-old Leo Shorthouse at a Melbourne apartment block. The boy’s relieved dad Aaron Shorthouse said he didn’t think his son had ever seen a vending machine before. Leo had been reaching for a packet of biscuits when his arm became jammed by anti-theft devices.

We live up in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, and I don’t think he’s seen a vending machine before, so he saw the Oreos, and some biscuits and a few other things.

Relieved dad Aaron Shorthouse

“The firefighters and the police were absolutely amazing, everyone that was there was incredible,” Mr Shorthouse said. Metropolitan Fire Brigade’s Steve Watts said: “Look, over the years I’ve attended to several children with their arms in vending machines. This particular one is actually quite heavy duty and a real challenge for us.” Leo was taken to hospital to be given the once over but is understood to have suffered no long term injuries.

vending machine