Suspicious Paper Box Seen at 28th Floor Window... Elderly Man Trapped for 20 Hours Sent an 'SOS' Signal

Whistleblower: "SOS Visible at Apartment Across the Street"

A man in his 70s living alone was trapped in an apartment evacuation space of about 2 pyeong and was rescued after 20 hours with the help of neighbors and the police, a story that was revealed belatedly.

On the 30th, the National Police Agency shared the story of an elderly man who was dramatically rescued through quick thinking. The incident occurred on the 1st of last month, when the Incheon Police Agency 112 Comprehensive Security Situation Room received a report stating, "There is a paper with 'SOS' written on it and a rope hanging on the outer wall of the opposite building."

A cardboard box with 'SOS' written on it is hanging on the exterior wall of an apartment in Incheon. [Image provided by Incheon Police Agency]

The police asked the reporter to "take a photo and send it." The photo sent by the reporter showed an object presumed to be a cardboard box hanging from the top window of a high-rise apartment. The box had the phrase 'SOS' written on it.

The police who arrived at the scene reached the apartment but had difficulty identifying the exact floor. The officers then visited the apartment management office to request cooperation and began ringing doorbells of each unit to find the person requesting rescue. When there was no response after ringing the doorbell multiple times at the 28th-floor unit, the police obtained the password from the homeowner’s son and opened the front door to enter.

While searching inside the house, the police sensed movement at a small door in the corner of the balcony and found Mr. A, a man in his 70s wearing only underwear. The location was an emergency evacuation space prepared to be used as an emergency escape route in case of fire.

It is known that Mr. A entered the emergency evacuation space the previous afternoon for ventilation, but the fire door, which was broken, suddenly locked, trapping him inside. Being a single elderly man without a mobile phone, Mr. A shivered in the cold for over 20 hours and carved the letters SOS with a knife on a nearby black box, attached a rope, and sent it out the window. A neighbor who discovered this reported it to the police, and Mr. A was ultimately rescued.

A National Police Agency official said, "Thanks to the grateful neighbor who did not ignore the rescue message and the police officers who responded promptly, the elderly man was safely rescued."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.