By Dominic Duncombe
Editor, BahamasLocal.com/news

Trying to hide from the police, James Brienzo jumped into a dumpster. Unfortunately for him, a trash compacter collected him and the garbage before he could escape.

Police got a call from Brienzo’s friend and eventually from the man himself, whose cell phone still worked from inside the trash truck. In fact, police were able to find Brienzo using the GPS from his cell phone. Talking to the 911 dispatcher, he said what must be one of the most unusual sentences ever spoken: “I’m in the back of a trash truck and it’s compacting me”.

Lieutenant William Morris told reporters that he and his partner were watching the Walmart because they suspected Brienzo was inside, robbing the store. Later, Morris searched for the truck, which he said was not easy, even with the GPS info.

Before you laugh too hard, Brienzo is in critical condition and was crushed several times before he was rescued. But before you beat yourself up for laughing too hard, he has a record of robbery as well as domestic violence.

Below is video from WKYC. My favorite part is about 40 seconds in when reporter Amanda Barren is interviewing Lieutenant Morris. After she finds out that he has been with the police force for 15 years, she starts to ask him, “Have you ever . . . .”. Before she can get any farther, Morris says “Never, never, (shakes head) no”. His facial expression and tone of voice really sum things up for me.

WKYC also has a decent story here