Traveling English couple found a teenage migrant in their rooftop cargo box

Seeing fingers or feet sticking out of a roof-mounted cargo box sounds like something from a horror film, but it was a real-life situation this week for an English couple. Simon and Sally Fenton of Newbury, Berkshire, England, discovered a 17-year-old boy had hidden in the box during the Fentons’ recent visit to France. The boy, who rode back to England on top of the car, was taken into custody by the police. 

According to BBC News, the Fentons had traveled to Dordogne, France, for a vacation. On the ride back, the Fentons stopped in Calais, France, before catching a ferry to Dover, England. When in Calais, the Fentons were forced to park their Skoda Kodiaq SUV outside, because their rooftop cargo box was too big for the hotel’s garage. It is that night the Fentons believe a teenager crawled into the box, hid, and hitched a ride. 

The Fentons didn’t notice anything wrong until they returned home. Sally saw two feet sticking out of the box, which was seemingly locked or broken, and called for her husband. The couple called the cops, who opened the box and found the boy. The teen reportedly told Simon he was from Egypt, and Mr. Fenton’s response was quite empathetic. 

“I have a lot of sympathy for him actually and I don’t begrudge him for getting into our country,” he told the BBC. “Just it was a bit of a shock and have not had that much adrenaline pumping through our veins for a long time.”

The situation was reportedly handed over to immigration officials for further investigation.