Suspect arrested after tumbling through ceiling

NEW PORT RICHEY (FOX 13) - A Pasco County family got one heck of a scare when a man came crashing through the kitchen ceiling.

The man was a fugitive - trying to escape charges related to violating his probation. Now he's under arrest, and the New Port Richey family whose house he used to hide is left with a human-sized hole in their ceiling.

Deputies say they found Thomas Fisher hiding in the attic of a vacant apartment, next to where Rudy Jimenez lives on Charles Street.

Fisher refused to obey their commands, so they pepper-sprayed him. As he was running away, he fell through Jimenez's ceiling. 

Jiminez says he was just starting his day when he heard the crash. 

"A big old, 'thump, thump,' and you heard the noise of just someone there," he told FOX 13 News from his kitchen. "The officers came in. They pulled him out. They had a big rumble. The whole kitchen is a mess."

Deputies say Fisher's fingerprints were discovered at the scene of a burglary. Deputies and the New Port Richey Police Department got a tip Fisher was hiding in a vacant apartment. When they went to arrest him, he bolted, climbing up into the breezeway.

"It's kinda funny but at the same time it's kind of scary because you're afraid for life," Jimenez said.

Now he’s waiting for his landlord to fix the massive hole in his ceiling, but more importantly, he's thankful for his safety.

"I hope justice comes really strong on him," he said.

Records show Fisher was on probation for multiple charges, including kidnapping and aggravated battery of an elderly person. He is now charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling.