Worker gets trapped inside 130ft tall sign as rescuers turn up with short ladder

A worker was trapped about 130 ft up inside a towering sign in Wilmington, North Carolina, after a lift malfunctioned while he was performing maintenance. The incident began around 11am on June 21, and he remained stranded for more than six hours as responders searched for a ladder long enough to reach him. Fire crews eventually arrived with ladders that only extended to about 100 ft, leaving them unable to access the narrow space within the sign pole. According to officials, the pole contained no built-in ladders or stairs that would allow rescuers to ascend normally. Rescuers brought in a specialized lift located roughly 27 km away to extract the worker. Fire officials said he was not injured, though the worker identified as “AJ” later said he suffered severe dehydration, triggered by the prolonged ordeal, before being transported to hospital.