ATTLEBORO - Comic book crime fighters can scale the sides of buildings, but a city man was committing a crime when he fell from a third floor window at Attleboro High School early Saturday morning, police claim.

Thomas Vandam, 36, of 103 West St., was seriously injured when he fell while trying to climb from a third-floor window of Attleboro High School onto the roof while carrying a piece of computer equipment. He fell 36 feet into the school's courtyard, and is being treated for a serious back injury at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, according to police.

Police were called to the sprawling high school when a janitor, standing outside the building at 2:08 a.m. Saturday, heard someone moaning with pain and calling for help. He found Vandam on the ground inside of the school's courtyard, which is shielded from public view by classrooms on all four sides of the outside area.

Police and the fire department were called to the scene and transported Vandam to Rhode Island Hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

Detective Sgt. Arthur Brillon said Vandam was able to get on the roof of the three-story building by climbing a nearby tree. He then used strands of wire to create a rope-like implement, tied the wire-rope to a pipe on the roof and rapelled down the side of the building to a third-floor window which he pried open, and entered the building. He was attempting to take a flat-screen computer monitor, the monitor's stand and a DVD player, police said.

Vandam was able to place the monitor on the roof, but when he climbed up a second time to put the monitor stand on the roof, he apparently lost his grip, falling 36 feet to the courtyard below.

Officers Dawn Gemme, Mark Barton and Christopher Ulbrich responded to the high school with rescue personnel from from the fire department.

But his arrest Saturday doesn't end Vandam's story. He also is being charged in a break-in at the high school a week ago, police said.

According to Det. Sgt. Brillon, someone broke into the high school a week ago and stole money from two vending machines. He tripped burglar alarms and was scared off by officers searching the building. In the earlier break-in, Vandam allegedly left behind a camera back containing $62.25 in change from the vending machines.

When police compared video surveillance of the earlier break-in with Vandam's picture from Saturday's attempted theft, they said they also solved the earlier crime.

Vandam is being charged with two counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, one count of larceny over $250, one count of larceny under $250, and two counts of breaking and entering a depository, the vending machines.