A homeless man was found dead after getting his head stuck in a donation box while trying to reach the items inside.

The unknown man in his 30s was cut free from the charity donation box after people in a South Los Angeles neighborhood noticed his motionless body Friday morning.

His head reportedly got caught in a small opening and paramedics tried to cut him out of the steel structure for 30 minutes, but it was too late by the time he was freed.

Locals said they recognized the man who they had seen going to the box for clothing items and collecting bottles off the streets.

An unknown homeless man in his 30s was found dead after getting his head stuck in this donation box in South Los Angeles on Friday morning

Officials were alerted to the incident when a woman who lives near the donation box noticed a man motionless and stuck halfway inside the bin, reported NBC Los Angeles.

Shirley Williams said to the news outlet: 'His head was caught in there with his legs out.'

Another woman who didn't want to be identified said to ABC 7: 'He wasn't moving so I said, "Oh, wow. Maybe I better call 911." So that's what I did.

'So by the time paramedics came, they tried to revive and get him out, but it took like 30 minutes to get him out.

'So they had to go and get these electric saws to get him out.'

By the time medics were able to get the man out of the box and tried to revive him, it was too late, according to reports.

The man's head reportedly got caught in a small opening and paramedics tried to cut him out of the pictured structure for 30 minutes, but it was too late by the time he was freed

Residents of the neighborhood near the box on Vermont and West Colden avenues said the box is illegally placed and want it removed.

Local Jackie Love told ABC 7: 'Everywhere, clothes are pulled out of there, that could have happened to anyone, not just this man.

'I guess they were trying to help the community, but all they did was add more junk to the community.'

This type of tragic accident has happened before.

In February, a Pennsylvania woman had her arm caught in a clothing donation drop-off bin and was left dangling for more than six hours through the night.

Judith Permar, 56, of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, was found dead when the step stool she was using collapsed underneath her.

Pemar was fishing bags out of the bin, some of which were found littering the ground.