Transcript for A toddler fell 12 feet down an air vent in his own home
??? This morning we are hearing the dramatic phone calls after a toddler fell 12 feet down an air vent in his own home. Now the mother who says she didn’t eveknow this was possible is warning other parents about the dang. My son is stuck in a vent! Reporter: That’s a Connecticut mom’s panicked call to 911 after her toddler managed to open an air vent in their home and fall in. If he goes any lower he’s going to be stucwhere he can’t breathe. Reporter: 14-month-old Elijah Irizarry was playing betweenwo baby Gates when his mom Kristie says she left the room for a second and that’s wn she says he may have used a hanger to pry open the grate, plunging 12 feet. I hear screaming so I ran in and at first I did not see him because I didn’t think to look down. I looked in his room and I was like, Elijah. I heard him scream again and I looked down and I’m like, oh, my god, he’s in the vent. He’s in the vent. Reporter: Kristie and ijah’s grandmother franticly called for help. I have a baby that went down the vent, my grandson. We’ve been trying to send someone here for the last ten minutes. Nobody’s gotten here. Reporter: More than a dozen firefighters worked furiously to free him. His hands were over his head in a position where we couldn’t get him back down. The mom we had on the second floor with us talking to the child, keeping the child calm. Reporter: Within 20 minutes, elijahas out. Everyone was really — like it was a good team. Reporter: Now he’s back in himother’s arms with barely a scratch, but Kristie says she always assumed the vent was screwed down and hopes her scare will be a lesson for others. Out of all this, to help people be aware that it can happen and lik I’m doing today. I’m getting all new grates and screw them all down. While she suspects her son used a hanger to pry the vent loose, apparently these things can get loose by things like vacuum cleans so it pays to keep checking on them, especially — I feel myself sweating. So many people have these kinds of vents in their homes. I childproofed my entire house and never thought about thvents being a problem. Diane, thanks so much.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
