Man plunges 22 feet off movie theater roof into wall space and is only rescued 12 hours later when customers heard muffled cries for help

Published: 04:51, 19 May 2026 | Updated: 04:52, 19 May 2026 A man in California was arrested shortly after being rescued by police officers who heard him crying for help from inside a wall of a movie theater he plunged into from several feet high. Isaac Valencia, 30, was placed behind bars on Sunday shortly after he was freed from the adjoining wall between Maya Cinemas and a coffee shop called Brewje in Salinas, according to officials. The Salinas Police Department said that some officers were getting coffee before ending their shift when they heard faint calls for help coming from somewhere nearby. Employees told the officers that they had heard something earlier, but the noise had stopped. They continued searching before realizing the yelling seemed to be coming from inside the wall between the coffee shop and the theater. 'Officers knocked on the wall and to their surprise they got a knock back,' wrote SPD. 'That’s when they discovered Isaac Valencia trapped inside the wall.' According to initial information from the Salinas Fire Department, cited by KSBW8, Valencia fell from the roof of Maya Cinemas near the main sign into a 1-foot-by-2-foot opening. Isaac Valencia, 30, was arrested on Sunday for burglary shortly after he was freed from a wall in Salinas, according to officials Officials estimated that the suspect plunged 22 ft before becoming trapped. The outlet added that he told officials that he couldn't move because he was stuck between metal beams. Valencia also reportedly told officers who responded just after 6am that he had been on the wall since 9pm. Emergency responders took around 2 hours to extract Valencia from the wall, leaving him trapped for nearly 12 hours. 'Salinas Fire responded and initially cut into Brewje’s wall, only to find another layer of cinderblock and cement behind it,' said officials. SPD added that firefighters had to cut open a large section of the adjoining wall to free Valencia. According to KSBW8 Valencia told first responders that he fell into the wall around 9pm. Officials responded shortly after 6am the following morning After he was freed, he was taken to a local hospital for a back injury before he was arrested  According to the outlet, he was brought to a local hospital for a minor back injury. After he was discharged, Valencia was booked into Monterey County Jail for burglary, according to SPD. 'We’re glad this ended with everyone safely going home,' wrote officials. 'Great work by our graveyard Officers, even when tired, for trusting their instincts, staying persistent, and quite literally listening to the walls.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.