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<\/p>\nTAMPA, Fla – An afternoon doing chores on Wednesday took a scary turn for an 86-year-old Tampa man.<\/p>\n
The backstory:<\/p>\n
James Manitaras found himself dangling off his roof three stories high on Patterson Street Wednesday afternoon in Tampa.<\/p>\n
“It used to be the old joke that they got cats out of trees. I weigh about 170. They got me off of that roof in good shape,” said Manitaras. “Since I have so much foliage around here, I get up on the roof and blow it off.”<\/p>\n
But this time, Manitaras, 86, said the branches he normally uses for support were trimmed.<\/p>\n
“I was afraid to walk it, and my shoes weren\u2019t doing real well. So, I decided I would get down and crawl it,” said Manitaras. “Unfortunately, because of the pitch of the roof, every time I would roll over, I would go more towards the edge of the roof.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
What we know:<\/p>\n
Manitaras said he soon realized his legs were hanging off his roof, and he was in a precarious position.<\/p>\n
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“My neighbor just happened to walk out and saw my legs over the side of the house and called 911,” said Manitaras.<\/p>\n
The Tampa Police Department and Tampa Fire Rescue responded within minutes to the call.<\/p>\n
“As soon as I heard the sirens I thought, \u2018Oh yes, this is just what I need,\u2019” said Manitaras.<\/p>\n
If first responders had not arrived, Manitaras said it would have been about a 300-foot drop to the gravel ground below.<\/p>\n
“I wouldn\u2019t have been very well off,” he said.<\/p>\n
What’s next:<\/p>\n
Manitaras said his wife, Sharon, had warned him about going on the roof to blow off the leaves.<\/p>\n
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“She\u2019s been on me for years not to do it. But when you build a home, and you go up there, and you blow it every year or twice a year, you get confident,” he said.<\/p>\n
But after 40 years of living in the house he built, it was time for a helping hand from first responders.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019ve said thank you so many times. I wouldn\u2019t be standing here if it wasn\u2019t for them,” said Manitaras.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a little tired and sore now, and he said what could go wrong did go wrong.<\/p>\n
“I was truly the victim of that,” Manitaras said.<\/p>\n
He shared that it may be time to follow his wife\u2019s wishes and ask someone else to clear his roof for him.<\/p>\n
“Of course, she had been on me for years not to do it. And me, I think I can do everything. I can\u2019t.”<\/p>\n
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX13\u2019s Briona Arradondo.\u00a0<\/p>\n