A Brazilian would-be burglar got stuck inside a chimney when trying to sneak into a bar in San Paolo while its owner was away.

He had to shout for help before he was finally heard by a woman living next door to the bar. She called an ambulance and a fire truck so that the unfortunate burglar could be released.

When the bar's owner, Cleia Baldonedo, came home after midnight on Tuesday, she saw the man's feet hanging from inside the chimney.

The soot-covered man was freed after firefighters broke away part of the chimney with hammers.