Meanwhile in Florida: 7-Year-Old Boy Hides in Garbage Truck, Almost Gets Turned Into ‘Mashed Potato’

Kids do the darndest things. If you’re a parent, you literally can’t take your eyes off of them for a second or they’ll get into all sorts of trouble. Or a garbage truck.

That’s what happened to 7-year-old Elias Quezada of Tampa, Florida. He was playing hide-and-seek and decided to hide in a garbage bin. Before he knew what was happening, the garbage truck arrived and hoisted the bin with its mechanical arm, then dumped him into the belly (or more accurately, the bowels) of the beast. These trucks are designed to compact trash to a quarter of its size. The blades were closing in on Quezada fast.

“I was thinking, ‘This might be the end for me,’” the boy told WFLA, the NBC station in Tampa. “I almost thought I was gonna be a mashed potato.”

Luckily, the driver, Waldo Fidele, saw the mischievous tyke in the truck’s surveillance camera and killed the choppers before they dismembered the boy. He then called 911.

“It was a bad day for me,” Fidele told Fox13 in Tampa. “I was scared.”

Thankfully, Quezada only had a minor cut.

As for who dropped the ball while watching the little rascal? His grandmother, apparently.

“In a minute, he went out and the next thing I hear is the sound of the truck and a guy screaming,” Carmen Salazar told WFLA.

This story could have had a truly tragic ending. Instead, it appears Quezada made a new BFF.

New best buddies. How the driver of a garbage truck saved a seven year old boys life seconds before he could have been crushed to death. Tonight. pic.twitter.com/m9hIDecMbj

— FOX 13’s Ken Suarez (@kensuarez2) February 11, 2021

Here’s hoping this rugrat learned his lesson. Then again, he is a Florida boy, who might grow into a Florida man, so who knows. At the very least, he won’t attempt to take refuge in a garbage truck again.

“I don’t like trash cans anymore,” he said. “Unless it’s like a tiny trash can that’s inside the house, then it might be fine.”

Cover Photo: NBC News

Meanwhile in Florida: Toddler Gets Head Stuck in Toilet Seat, Dad Saves the Day With Saw

MORE NEWS:

Meanwhile in Florida: College Student Jailed For Fish Photo, There Goes His Tinder Profile

Visit the Mandatory Shop for great deals on your very own Mandatory merch.

Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.