CHICAGO — An early user of the city’s first public toilet this week found the experience a bit flushing after an awkward test run.

After Chicago’s first self-cleaning public toilet officially opened for business in Wicker Park, the unidentified person found themselves temporarily trapped in the facility, according to Paul Stewart, a spokesperson for the bathroom’s operator JCDecaux.

The individual became caught inside after they didn’t push the exit button when they finished using the restroom, Stewart said in a statement Friday. The person then attempted to force the door open, which shut the unit down temporarily as a safety mechanism to prevent anyone from attempting to force entry while someone is inside, according to Stewart.

Further, the person also “apparently didn’t notice the emergency exit button inside the unit,” Stewart continued. “They ultimately pushed the emergency call button, which dispatched an emergency response, similar to someone stuck inside an elevator.”

A Chicago Fire Department spokesperson said fire officials had no record of calls for assistance Wednesday afternoon at the facility, located at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Division Street.

Stewart said there is signage and audio prompts in the unit while in use which provide “directions for use and exit instructions while someone is inside.”

The novel lavatory launched Wednesday after years of waiting.

Ald. Daniel La Spata, whose 1st Ward is home to the facility, led a City Council call for more public toilets in 2021 after a Tribune investigation found large swaths of Chicago have few or no publicly operated bathrooms.

In 2024, La Spata announced to constituents that JCDecaux was ready to install several “high-quality” public toilets as part of the French company’s broader contract with the city. The Northwest Side alderman then allocated around $315,000 in ward funds to pay for installing the bathroom.

Bathroom trips are limited to 15 minutes, according to Alan Sullivan, co-CEO of JCDecaux North America. As that time limit approaches, an announcement informs users their clock is running out. When time expires, the doors open, and using motion detectors, stay open until the user leaves.

Asked about Wednesday’s incident, La Spata in a call with the Tribune Thursday afternoon said, “Any new technology or infrastructure is bound to have a learning curve and growing pains to it.”

“If this was going to happen, I was glad that it happened on day one so everyone can learn how to use a self-cleaning restroom safely,” he continued.

La Spata added that he was glad the individual was safe and chose to use the facility.

—The Tribune’s Jake Sheridan contributed.

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