Where did you buy the fuckin handle? Temu? I challenge you to find a handle from a major legitimate brand that works this way. Smells like a plea for Internet points.
I'm 99% sure this is fake or that it wasn't UPS who delivered the package. I can see virtually the whole box in this image and it's clear that the package is in pretty decent condition and not covered in mystery stains.
Almost all of the comments below this are incorrect in assuming how lever handles operate.
In cheaper or lower grade lever handles, both handles operate together and operate the latch. When it's locked, the lever stays rigid and does not move. It is very easy to stand with your own bodyweight on the lever and break it, therefore getting in.
Only in higher grade lever handles do both handles operate independently while also not engaging the latch, preventing the handle from staying rigid and less likely of being broken.
So assuming this is a shitty or lower grade lever handle, getting locked into your apt this way is 100% plausible.
To be fair, the lever handles on my apartment door do not lift up and both handles turn at the same time. For whatever reason :/ so there is reasonable chance this post is real.
Not all. The safety doors for roof access at our building only work in one direction, up. I've been told you can set any of them up to only work in one direction. Just like some can not be unlocked and require to key to open every time. Same doorknob different setup. But I agree that picture is from the inside.
The outside of those kind of doors pretty much universally, operate from the outside with a key. There may be some edge cases I'm not thinking about but they wouldn't apply to a living space.
My apartment's door has one of these lever handles, but when you go to turn it, the lever on the other side remains stationary, making a situation like this impossible. Unless the box propped the entire door shut, but it looks like an inward-opening door so I'm not sure.
A door lever where both sides are fixed together (and could be wedged to prevent someone on the other side from opening it) seems like a huge safety hazard. Maintenance needs to take care of that ASAP.
It looks like a lot of people seem to think the handle is weird, but I've never seen a residential door with only a deadbolt. The only deadbolt only door I have seen was just a shed too.
Exterior doors swing inward so firemen can break them more easily. This is a metal door that swings in; pictured from the outside. I assume this is a door to a dorm/apartment.
In the second photo you can see the bottom dial for an electronic lock. That portion is the exterior piece. It free spins unless you press the correct combination prior.
Deadbolt locking mechanism is in the picture. This looks like it was taken from the interior not exterior. Especially with the door being a push to open.
Looks like a reader or keypad above. Many of the electronic locks look like this, you can put the key in or electronically unlock and turn from the outside. My in-laws have a similar one, if you don't enter the code that part just spins.
This is how mine works. You have the deadbolt lever on both sides, and can spin the exterior one to lock after you scan your key fob. Mine doesn't have a master lock on it though; I got locked out once and they had a special electronics team dedicated to the system show up in like 15 mins and open the door through their computers
Door opens inwards, look at the frame. The box is not blocking the door from moving but blocking the handle from turning and opening the door. Dont know if it real but its possible.
It's fake, but that's not why. The package is blocking the door handle from turning, so it doesn't matter which way the door opens, trying to will jam the handle up on the package.
It's fake because this is the inside of the door, not the outside. Notice the lock for the deadbolt.
I was about to reply that the reason they were trapped was because the door handle was blocked by the package, not because it was holding the door shut.... but you're right, this photo was taken inside the dwelling.
(As also evidenced by the deadbolt mechanism another poster noted)