84-year-old man calls 911 after getting locked inside Rite Aid on Christmas

WXYZ Digital Team

It was just before 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Day when an elderly man walked into the Rite Aid on 23 Mile Road in New Baltimore to check his blood pressure near the pharmacy.

What he may not have known was that the store was closing early for the holiday.

And when it was time to lock up the building, store employees didn’t realize that the 84-year-old man was still inside.

Once he realized he was alone and locked in the store, the man used his cell phone to call 911.

Police officers arrived, but because a store manager could not be reached, firefighters had to be called to come use a special key to open up the store.

Police tell 7 Action News that the man was so happy to be freed that he gave everyone a handshake and a hug.

Action News called the Rite Aid Corporation to find out how the customer was overlooked when closing for the night and if procedures were going to be reviewed.

Ashley Flower, spokesperson for the Rite Aid Corporation released the following statement to 7 Action News:

What I can tell you is that we are aware of this incident, which happened on Christmas, and are currently investigating. We (take) all customer matters very seriously and we are using this as an opportunity to review our procedures.