It started as a quick game. It ended with a fire department rescue in front of a crowd of stunned children.
Around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, a young woman at a Chuck E. Cheese in Burbank, California, got her arm stuck inside a children’s arcade game called “Snow Day!” She had knelt inside the machine, trying to reach into a narrow tunnel, when her arm wouldn’t budge. The situation drew the attention of curious onlookers — most of them children — who gathered near the booths to watch.
“Snow Day!” is designed for the youngest players. Kids step inside, soft foam “snowballs” fall from above, and they race to toss the balls into marked scoring holes. The game runs only a few minutes. But this time, it went far longer. Officials say the woman appeared to be trying to cheat the game when she got trapped.
A Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson confirmed the game “does not pose a risk to players” and emphasized the problem began when the player “stuck their arm in a hole not intended for hands or arms.”
Video captured by bystanders shows firefighters from the Burbank Fire Department kneeling beside the capsule, working to free her as children looked on. The woman appeared calm, though stuck for nearly an hour. Parents kept their kids at a distance, but the crowd never lost interest.
Eventually, firefighters freed her without injury. The company says she “continued to enjoy an evening of fun with the family” after the ordeal.
The “Snow Day!” game, according to its manufacturer, Coastal Amusements, was created to “fill an under-served age gap in our industry,” catering to children too young for more complex arcade challenges. It is not designed for adult players.
First Chuck E. Cheese gets arrested for drugs and now he’s keeping a mother hostage. Thankfully the Burbank Fire Dept. is here to save her. How many Californians does it take to open a game machine? pic.twitter.com/N90x5Ona90
— Kim “Katie” USA (@KimKatieUSA) August 9, 2025
This incident comes just weeks after a separate, unusual moment for the arcade chain. In late July, a Chuck E. Cheese mascot in Florida was arrested on credit card theft charges while wearing the full costume. Video from that day showed the costumed figure being led out in handcuffs past a children’s birthday party. Kids stared in silence as their beloved character climbed into a patrol car.
JUST IN: “Chuck E. Cheese” has been ARRESTED in Florida on multiple felonies, including credit card fraud and identity theft, per the Tallahassee Democrat
Man, Chuck’s finally hit rock bottom, it seems.
What a shame. pic.twitter.com/CSCkK4FslV
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 24, 2025
JUST IN: “Chuck E. Cheese” has been ARRESTED in Florida on multiple felonies, including credit card fraud and identity theft, per the Tallahassee DemocratThe brand has recently expanded with a spin-off aimed at adults, featuring more intense games and alcohol on the menu. At those locations, there are no “Snow Day!” machines — and no children watching rescues unfold from the booths.
For those inside the Burbank location on Thursday, the unexpected rescue was the main event. The flashing lights of the fire truck outside, the rows of children pressed up against the booths, and the sight of firefighters pulling the young woman free from the bright plastic capsule created a scene no one had planned on.
