Cops: Guy Picked Wrong Business to Break Into

The problem with breaking into an escape-room business is, well, the escape. Police in Vancouver, Washington, say Rye Wardlaw busted into NW Escape Experience overnight Sunday and ended up calling 911 because he couldn't get out, reports USA Today. Authorities say the 40-year-old finally managed to escape through a back door before police arrived, but officers arrested him walking away. The business is located in a strip mall and has three different escape rooms from which people try to solve themed riddles in order to get out. One, for example, is called the Kill Room, and "if you don’t know what you’re getting into, stepping into that room is actually pretty scary,” owner Rob Bertrand tells the Washington Post.

It's not clear whether Wardlaw, who is believed to be homeless, actually went into any of the escape rooms, but police say he panicked when he couldn't exit the building itself. Officers say he made up various stories about why he broke in, including that he was escaping a burglary elsewhere. They say he stole a cell phone, a beer, and a TV remote. He faces three counts of second-degree burglary and is being held on $40,000 bail. "Once we got down there [to the business] and realized the damage was minimal, we just thought it was hilarious," owner Bertrand tells CNN. (More burglary stories.)