Cops rescue man who chased keys down drain

An employee at the Sam's Club store in Medford had to be rescued early Thursday from a parking lot storm drain he had become stranded in when he climbed in to retrieve his keys.

Suffolk County police said the unidentified man was not hurt.

Police were alerted about 2:15 a.m., when the man called 911 to report he was stuck. Volunteers from the Medford Fire Department and a police EMS crew went to the store on Horseblock Road and found the man at the bottom of an 18-foot-deep hole.

As he was leaving work, police said, the man dropped his keys into the drain, then got a rope and climbed down to retrieve them -- only to get stuck. Fortunately, police said, he had a cellphone, which he used to call 911.

The rescue was completed at 2:44 a.m., police said. Police said the man did, in fact, manage to retrieve his keys.