Australian man trapped in sewer for 36 hours ‘evading police’

Queensland police say man was a passenger in a car linked to two crashes

A 38-year-old Brisbane man who claimed he got stuck in a sewer for 36 hours trying to retrieve his phone was in fact evading the police, officers say.

The man, who has not been named by police, spent a day and a half in Brisbane’s drainage system before Queensland police revealed that he had been avoiding them following two car crashes.

The authorities said earlier on Monday that they had assisted a man who got stuck in the drainage system after trying to retrieve his phone. But on Tuesday the police issued an update saying the man in question had been a passenger in a vehicle involved in two crashes at about 4.20am on Sunday morning.

A police patrol tried to follow a Ford Falcon in Kangaroo Point when it reversed into the police car, causing significant damage to the Ford and moderate damage to the police vehicle. Officers were unharmed. The Ford then reportedly fled and was involved in another crash on Shafston Avenue shortly after, according to the police.

Earlier, reports had mentioned that emergency services rescued the man from beneath a bolted drain lid at Kangaroo Point near the Brisbane River at about 11am on Monday.

The incident, which drew attention after nearby residents heard him and eventually called for help, occurred on Castlebar St, near Lambert St in Brisbane, Australia.

Firefighters successfully freed the man, who was then taken to the hospital in a stable condition. He was reportedly treated for abrasions and exposure to the cold.

He is now assisting the police in the investigation.

A Queensland ambulance service spokesman had earlier said: “He reported he was there for 36 hours and went to get his phone.”

A spokeswoman for the Queensland fire and emergency services reported that firefighters successfully removed a bolted lid from the drain and rescued the man.

On Tuesday, it was understood that the man declined an offer of rescue on Sunday, but the same individual came back on Monday and made an emergency call to triple zero for assistance.

Acting police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said: “It’s amazing what people will do sometimes and what happens, so yes, there’s always surprises.

“But I like to work out what’s actually happening. So let’s get to the facts. I don’t know what they are yet. Let the investigation run its course and we will work out where it goes from there.”