‘MacGyver inspired me to amputate my arm’

JONATHAN METZ had his left arm stuck in his furnace boiler for about 12 hours when he asked himself “what would MacGyver do?” and concluded that amputating the limb was his only chance for survival.

The 31-year-old West Hartford man, who was released from hospital this week and met with reporters for the first time since getting his arm stuck in his furnace.

Metz, who is right-handed, said when the thought of amputation first crossed his mind he pushed it away. He considered every other option and thought of the resourceful 1980s television character who always found a way to use mundane objects in his surroundings to get himself out of tough situations.