{"id":128081,"date":"2025-09-02T20:52:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T20:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/128081\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T20:52:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T20:52:08","slug":"acfd-rescues-tiktok-famous-toucan-from-behind-pentagon-city-dishwasher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/128081\/","title":{"rendered":"ACFD rescues TikTok-famous toucan from behind Pentagon City dishwasher"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Chester the toucan perches on an ACFD truck (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

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Chester the toucan perches on an ACFD truck (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

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Chester the toucan and Maria Stagliano pose with an ACFD truck (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

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Chester the toucan and Maria Stagliano pose with an ACFD truck (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

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Chester the toucan in the spring (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

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Chester the toucan (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

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Chester the toucan (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

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Chester the toucan (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

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Chester the toucan (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

The Arlington County Fire Department came to the rescue of a trapped toucan this weekend after the bird got stuck behind a Pentagon City dishwasher.<\/p>\n

Chester the toucan \u2014 a TikTok star<\/a> with over 830,000 followers \u2014 has since recovered and is \u201cback to being his normal chaotic self,\u201d his owner, Maria Stagliano, told ARLnow.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a couple local firefighters have a story they too can tell for years to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will go down in the books,\u201d firefighter Jake Easton told ARLnow. \u201cMy kids are jealous that I got to hold a toucan.\u201d<\/p>\n

The trouble began on Sunday when Chester, a chestnut-eared aracari toucan, took a fall into Stagliano\u2019s toilet while flying around her bathroom.<\/p>\n

Stagliano said she normally keeps the toilet lid closed, \u201cbecause Chester is extremely clumsy and falls all over the place, everywhere, all the time.\u201d But she happened to be cleaning that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a freak moment where he, like, was flying over and, kind of like, lost his balance and then fell in, and then panicked,\u201d Stagliano said. \u201cAnd then I panicked and screamed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stagliano grabbed Chester out of the toilet and took him to the sink to rinse him off. Once that was over, the bedraggled toucan \u201cbolted for the ground\u201d in search of a hiding spot.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s common for Chester to seek shelter in \u201csome sort of little hiding space,\u201d like under a couch or a table, Stagliano said. This time, however, he found somewhere new: a small hole leading to a space behind Stagliano\u2019s dishwasher.<\/p>\n

At first, the bird owner didn\u2019t even know where he was. But when she heard some noises coming from behind the appliance, she took out her cellphone and got a video of the toucan \u201ccowering in the corner\u201d of a dark and dirty space.<\/p>\n

\u201cChester just looked like somebody\u2019s sleep paralysis demon, or something,\u201d Stagliano said. \u201cHe was, like, wet. His feathers were revealing his purple skin underneath, all, like, wet and out of place. He didn\u2019t have any of his color. He was like wide-eyed and staring off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Chester the toucan with a glass of Guinness (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)<\/p>\n

Stagliano knew she had to move the dishwasher to get Chester out, but she was afraid to damage her apartment. She tried calling maintenance, but since it was over the weekend, she was told that no one could respond for at least two days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, OK, well, thank you. I\u2019m going to call the fire department,\u201d Stagliano said. \u201cPlease tell them where to go when they get here.\u201d<\/p>\n

A crew from Fire Station 5 responded to Stagliano\u2019s request for assistance in a matter of minutes. They carefully pulled out the dishwasher and Stagliano scooped the exotic bird out.<\/p>\n

Easton recalled being surprised by Chester\u2019s size.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was quite surprising,\u201d the firefighter said. \u201cHe was a lot smaller than I pictured a toucan. In my mind \u2014 my kids eat Fruit Loops \u2014 so I picture the toucan on the Fruit Loops container.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stagliano was \u201cthrilled,\u201d Easton said. She let the firefighters hold the bird and get photos with him, and as soon as she can, she hopes to pay a visit to the fire station to thank the crew.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Stagliano has patched up the hole under her dishwasher and is keeping the toilet lid firmly closed. Chester is doing well, she said, although he remains \u201ca little bit wary of water\u201d these days.<\/p>\n

Over at ACFD, Easton is happy to have helped out in an animal rescue like none other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did our job,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was what we were there to do. \u2026 A job well done by the guys that were with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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