Just because everyone in movies makes daring escapes through air vents and ceiling tiles doesn't mean it's an option in real life.

The police in Upper Merion, Pennsylvania got a call around 4:30 A.M. about someone inside of a Macy's.

But when they went there, they found someone HAD stolen money from the registers . . . and no sign of the thief.

After FIVE HOURS of searching, they finally figured it out . . . when they found a 32-year-old guy named Nicholas Redmond hiding in the ceiling.

It turns out he'd just quit Macy's three weeks earlier and still had a set of keys . . . so he'd just let himself in, but then he hid when the cops came.

He stole at least $7,000 that night . . . and the cops have connected him to two other thefts at the Macy's where he stole about $5,000.

He's facing theft charges.  (ABC 6 - Philadelphia)  (Here's his mugshot.)