Texas couple shocked after discovering suspected Burglar trapped in chimney

A Texas couple in Houston was left stunned on Easter morning after discovering that strange noises coming from their fireplace were not caused by an animal, but a man who had become trapped inside their chimney.

Joni Mitchell said she first woke up around 12:30 a.m. after her dog, Ellie, began barking at unusual sounds coming from inside their home. 

Initially unsure of what was happening, she began investigating the source of the disturbance.

“I did hear some noises,” Mitchell told local outlet KHOU 11. “All of a sudden, I started hearing [groaning], and it was coming out of the fireplace.”

She then woke her husband, Curt Mitchell, who initially suspected a far more ordinary explanation.

“Maybe a raccoon or something got in,” he said.

However, the situation quickly escalated once Curt opened the fireplace flue and realized someone was inside. 

“This guy was… freaking out,” he recalled. “When they broke it in, the front fell off, and there was his face and his shoulders.”

Firefighters were called to the scene and reportedly broke part of the fireplace structure to rescue the man, who told responders he had been “being chased” and attempted to hide in the chimney.

Authorities later identified the individual as 33-year-old Edwin Leonel Salmeron Granados. According to court documents from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, he has been charged with burglary of a habitation.

Houston Police arrested Granados shortly after 1:30 a.m., and officials confirmed he is scheduled to appear in court on April 10.

The couple believes the man may have climbed a fence onto their roof before attempting to enter the home through the chimney, where he ultimately became stuck.

“I’ve never ever heard anything like this before. It was crazy,” Joni Mitchell said, describing the shocking discovery.