Firefighters free man ‘super-locked’ into his car

Crews contacted a firefighter who owns the same model vehicle and learned that to unlock the car they would have to get the remote out of the car

January 11, 2016 09:15 AM

The Orange County Register

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. — Firefighters used a specialized tool Sunday afternon to liberate a Mission Viejo man from his parked car after an electrical glitch sent the 2001 Land Rover into super-lock mode.

Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority said the unidentified man in his 40s was trapped inside the vehicle for a half-hour, trying everything he could but unable to get a window or a lock to budge.

A 4:45 p.m. call to OCFA sent firefighters to the parking lot outside a Verizon store at the corner of Del Obispo Street and Camino Capistrano.

“We didn’t want to break a window,” Concialdi said. Firefighters were able to contact a firefighter who owns the same model vehicle and learned that to unlock the car, rescuers would have to get the key fob — the remote — out of the car.

The man crawled to the rear of the Land Rover, Concialdi said, and firefighters used a specialized tool to spread open the hatchback door just enough to slide the fob out without damaging the vehicle.

“He was elated,” Concialdi said.

Last summer, Concialdi said, the same super-lock scenario happened with a parked Mercedes in Rancho Santa Margarita. “There were people inside and they were scared,” he said, “and we could not get the vehicle unlocked. We had to break the window. It didn’t seem there was any other option.”