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Homeless man rescued from garbage truck
Thursday, December 13, 2007By Michael Goot (Contact)
Gazette Reporter


ROTTERDAM — A homeless man sleeping in a dumpster escaped injury after a vehicle picked up the trash early this morning.

“The driver apparently observed upon dumping the dumpster, the man fall into the rear of the dump truck,” said Police Lt. Michael Brown.

The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. at the Hannaford Plaza on Altamont Avenue.

The Rotterdam Fire Department responded with a ladder truck so a crew could safely remove him from the large trash truck. Brown said the 45-year-old man was not injured and was sent on his way.

“I never heard of this happening before,” he said.

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ROTTERDAM
Man in Dumpster deposited in truck
Sleep interrupted, but no injury
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net.

    A homeless man sleeping in a Dumpster escaped injury despite a rude awakening when he was deposited in a County Waste garbage truck Thursday morning.
    “The driver apparently observed upon dumping the Dumpster the man fall into the rear of the dump truck,” said Lt. Michael Brown of the Rotterdam Police Department.
    The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. at the Hannaford Plaza on Altamont Avenue.
    The Rotterdam Fire Department responded to the scene with a ladder truck so a crew could extricate the man from the garbage truck. Brown said that the 45-year-old man was not injured and was sent on his way.
    “I never heard of it happening before,” Brown said.
    An employee at County Waste said that he could not offer any details about the incident.
    City Mission Executive Director Michael Saccocio said he did not know the particulars of this case, but it is not that unusual for a homeless person to seek out a trash receptacle as a shelter.
    “A Dumpster provides four walls and a roof over you,” he said.
    People find all sorts of places to sleep. “We’ve had instances of people sleeping in clothing drop boxes,” he said.
    Saccocio added some homeless people might have personality issues.
    “Not everybody that’s on the street wants to be in a shelter,” he said.