(Image source: Ceres Police Department / KXTV)

BY STEVEN SPARKMAN

You're watching multisource U.S. news analysis from Newsy.

Here’s something you don’t see every day.

When rescue teams were called to a California neighborhood over the weekend, they found a man stuck upside down in a storm drain. They reported he had been drunk, and crawled into the drain when he dropped his phone. And they snapped this photo. (Image source: Ceres Police Department / KXTV)

First reports -- like this one from YourNewsNow -- had some fun with the story.

“If you think you’re having a bad day, at least you’re not stuck in a sewer drain. Rescue crews had to be called in for this guy after people reported seeing his legs sticking out of a manhole. He had apparently crawled down there after losing his wallet and ended up stuck for close to an hour. It took four firefighters to pull him out. No word on if he ever got his wallet back.”

But 21-year-old Jared Medeiros had another story about his dive into the sewer. He says -- he was attacked! He also says he’s mad at the police for releasing his name and embarrassing photo, making him too scared to file a report. KXTV has his version of events.

REPORTER: “But Medeiros says he wasn’t heavily intoxicated -- he was mugged by gang members. … Four men took his neck chain and repeatedly kicked him on the ground and the gang threw his phone into the drain.”
MEDEIROS: “My head was bleeding, and I started shaking once I realized my head was bleeding. I don’t know why, but I started shaking, and then I went for my phone. I was trying to get help.”

Police say Medeiros never mentioned the attack when he was rescued. He says that’s because he was disoriented by his head injury -- and from being upside down for 40 minutes. And just in case you can’t visualize how he got stuck, a reporter from KTXL-TV made a handy “how-to” video.

“How did this guy get into this storm drain? You can see that it’s very heavy just trying to pull it off. And then look at the diameter -- it’s not that big. I can get my hands down in there, but... I don’t know -- oh, my head and my shoulders. Yep, that’s how he got in.”

Don’t try that at home -- and don’t forget to update your Newsy for iPad app.

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