3-year-old crawls into toy vending machine

AUSTIN, Minn. (AP) _ A machine filled with toys must've been awfully tempting to a little 3-year-old boy. <br/><br/>So tempting, in fact, that he decided to go right on in and play - by crawling through

Tuesday, March 28th 2006, 10:22 am

By: News On 6

AUSTIN, Minn. (AP) _ A machine filled with toys must've been awfully tempting to a little 3-year-old boy.

So tempting, in fact, that he decided to go right on in and play - by crawling through the toy discharge chute in the Toy Chest claw machine at a local Godfather's Pizza. The boy ended up getting stuck amid all the toys.

``It was the funniest thing I ever saw,'' said Fire Chief Dan Wilson, one of three to respond to the non-emergency call on Sunday. ``The kid was in there playing, smiling, laughing. He thought it was fun.

``I don't think he was in any real danger. There was plenty of air in there.''

When firefighters arrived, the boy was enjoying himself and patrons were taking pictures with digital cameras, Wilson said.

Firefighters pried the door open to get the boy out.

The toddler wasn't hurt, but fire officials suggest parents keep a close eye on their children.

``They're gonna do what they're gonna do,'' said Shift commander Ted Gilbertson. ``It's kind of up to the parents.''