Moment worker gets trapped inside 130ft tall sign for seven hours – before rescuers turn up with ladders too short

THIS is the moment a worker gets trapped 130ft in the air after being left at the very top of a towering sign. The man was stranded for over six hours when a lift malfunctioned while he was carrying out works as rescuers scrambled to find a ladder tall enough to reach him. The man was stuck up the sign after his lift malfunctioned Credit: YouTube/KHOU 11 Rescuers were forced to use a specialized lift to get the man down Credit: YouTube/KHOU 11 Crazy footage from North Carolina shows the man flashing a thumbs-up and a rock sign, his spirits high even while dangling over a hundred feet in the air. After running into trouble around 11am, the man waited three hours for Wilmington fire crews to arrive at the scene in Wilmington on June 21. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Just when he thought his luck was turning, rescuers arrived only to realise their ladders reached just 100ft. This meant they were unable to reach the worker who was sheltered in a narrow space within the sign. He spent a total of 6 hours in the sign Credit: YouTube/KHOU 11 The man remained in high spirits even when stuck Credit: YouTube/KHOU 11 Fire officials said: “No ladders or stairs built into the sign pole were present, eliminating the possibility of rescue team personnel ascending to the victim’s location as would normally occur in a high angle rescue.” Rescuers eventually found a specialized lift 27km away that they used to bring the man to safety. The man who claimed to be the stuck maintenance worker identified himself as “AJ” and praised fire officials for saving him on a Facebook post. He said: “Thank you to every department that showed up for me today. Most read in The Sun The man safely rescued from the sign Credit: YouTube/KHOU 11 The worker spent hours in the confined space Credit: YouTube/KHOU 11 “It was greatly appreciated! Seeing that lift roll up with police escorts was the highlight of my day for sure!” The man was up the giant sign for over six hours with nowhere to sit comfortably in the confined space. Fire crews said the maintenance worker wasn’t injured, but AJ said he suffered severe dehydration, which sparked his co-worker to call for the rescue, before he was transported to a hospital. He has since changed his profile picture to himself giving a thumbs up to a helicopter that captured the dramatic scene. AJ said: “The news coverage at the end of the ordeal made it seem like it was a joyride.” “My adrenaline was pumping once I saw that lift arriving and [it] gave me a 2nd wind. “After the adrenaline crash, I felt like crap all night and still do.” It comes as a tree surgeon was rescued after suffering a medical emergency 75 ft up a palm tree. Dramatic footage of the daring rescue mission shows the tree surgeon hanging backwards while the lower portion of his body is still attached to the tree in San Jose, California. The worker suffered a medical emergency while strimming the tree, rendering him incapacitated. Comment now