BERLIN (AP) — A teenager has broken into a German prison in an attempt to win back his ex-girlfriend.

Prison authorities in the northwestern town of Vechta told news agency dpa the 18-year-old scaled a 4-meter (13-foot) wall last week to get to his ex's window.

Prison officials intercepted the man. He refused to climb back down, and the fire service was called to bring him down with a ladder.

It wasn't clear whether the escapade succeeded in winning back the heart of the young woman, also 18, who had broken up with him by phone. The man is being investigated for trespassing and unauthorized contact with prisoners.

Regional broadcaster NDR reported that the man was half-naked, having taken off many of his clothes to avoid getting caught on barbed wire.