JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A human leg spotted dangling over a Florida restaurant's grill led to a burglary suspect trapped in an air vent and about to fall into hot oil.

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"He was coming down right (over the grill)," restaurant owner Rana Escamilla said. "He would have skittled right onto the grill and into the oil. So, basically, we saved his life by calling the police to get him out."

Mandarin restaurant manager Richard Angers said he was looking around the kitchen and spotted a foot and then a leg hanging out of a grill vent.

He called Escamilla, who photographed the screaming man.

"Oh, I could see his leg," Escamilla said. "He was in pain. He was hurting and he was trapped. That's a really small opening."

Police said the man was apparently trying to get into a nearby pharmacy through the complex vent system.

Several firefighters eventually pulled Jason Hammond out of the vent.

"Did you see him when he came out?" a report asked.

"He was bleeding," Escamilla said. "He was really greasy."

Hammond told police that he'd had a fight with his wife and decided to let some steam out and fell into the vent.

Jacksonville police charged him with burglary.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.