Claw Machine Claims Second Trapped Toddler: 'I Get Ball'

A claw machine at a Missouri sports complex has apparently become a literal kid magnet. Local outlets cited by USA Today report that a second toddler recently climbed into the same prize machine at Vetta Sports' Soccerdome in Webster Groves, a St. Louis suburb. This time it was 3-year-old Patrick Campbell, who slipped away while his dad watched his sister's soccer game. Asked why he did it, Patrick's explanation to First Alert 4 was brief: "I get ball." His father ultimately coaxed him to crawl back out on his own.

As for the boy's sister, she noted, "I knew Patrick was going to get stuck in there." The incident echoes what happened there in early February, when a toddler named Cooper snuck into the same machine while his mother watched her other son's game, per USA Today. That caper ended with a technician unlocking the machine after roughly 20 minutes. In response to the repeat rescues, local firefighters have reportedly assembled a dedicated kit in case they're called to liberate yet another young adventurer from the claw game. The facility hasn't publicly commented.