New Hampshire hospital’s ER floods after patient breaks sprinkler

A 48-year-old man was arrested Saturday after police say he broke a sprinkler at Exeter (N.H.) Hospital, which set off fire alarms and flooded areas of the facility, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

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Police took Adam D. Wolf to the hospital Saturday after he reportedly approached the officers saying he needed help because “people were after him.” At the hospital, security officers say Mr. Wolf became manic, tossed a urine-filled bedpan across the room and then ran into another evaluation room where he broke a tamper-resistant sprinkler head. The sprinklers flooded the evaluation room and areas of the emergency department, according to the report.

A hospital spokesperson told the Union Leader patients had to be rerouted and some patients’ room assignments had to be changed due to the flooding.

Mr. Wolf was arrested and charged with unlawful interference with a fire apparatus, aiding in a false fire alarm, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He’s being held on $500 bail, which will convert to personal recognizance if he’s admitted to the state psychiatric hospital, according to the report.

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