Man, 20, captured while climbing Trump Tower
A 20-year-old Virginia man scaling Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan with suction cups and straps Wednesday was safely pulled in through a window by police, ending a several-hour stunt that got him to the 21st floor and on to the television screens of millions of people worldwide.
His motive, according to police: he wanted to climb to the top of the tower and eventually get a personal meeting with Donald Trump.
The Republican presidential candidate responded via Twitter late Wednesday, writing, "Great job today by the NYPD in protecting the people and saving the climber."
New York cops, some outfitted with rappelling gear, snatched the man moments after he ascended to a tight spot near a large window removed by police. Earlier, they raised a ladder in an effort to stop him, but closed it up as he moved higher. They also broke windows above his route and inflated giant cushions below him in case he tumbled off the 58-story Trump headquarters.
The climber's name was not released but police say he posted a YouTube video earlier this week, saying he hoped to get a meeting with Trump. He was taken to New York City Health & Hospitals/Bellevue for mental evaluation. As of Wednesday night, the man remained hospitalized but upon discharge, would be arrested and most likely charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, police said.
Police said he arrived in New York on Tuesday and was staying in a local hotel. He has previously gone by another name and police were trying to get his identity straight, Chief William Aubry, commander of NYPD Manhattan South Detectives, told reporters.
After police ended the ordeal, emergency responders brought the man out of the Fifth Avenue entrance of the building on a stretcher and placed him in an ambulance, which took him to Bellevue Hospital for psychological evaluation and, later, arrest, Aubry said.
During a press conference in front of the Trump Tower Wednesday night, Chief Vincent Giordano, commander of NYPD emergency services, said authorities took the first calls about the man at about 3:30 p.m. and thought they were responding to a case of a jumper.
As the man ascended, police told him that the suction cups could cause the windows of the building to crack, but he did not seem moved by this, police said. Det. Christopher Williams, standing at one of the windows opened by police, said he waited for the opportune moment to bring the man inside.
"When it presented itself, I reached out, took hold of his hand and said, 'Sir, please come with me', and I brought him inside with the help of my partner," Williams said.
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Trump, who was on his presidential campaign tour in Virginia, wasn't there to see the spectacle.
"This man performed a ridiculous and dangerous stunt," Michael Cohen, an executive at the Trump Organization, said in a statement. "I'm 100 percent certain the NYPD had better things to do."
Throughout the nearly three-hour climb, the man rebuffed all attempts by police to lure him to safety. Using industrial-grade suction cups that can be bought online, as well as a harness and simple rope, he was able to maneuver himself into positions that were not easily reachable by officers keeping watch on him.
Trump Tower is located on Fifth Avenue, an area of heavy traffic. Crowds of pedestrians stopped to watch the climber.
"Kind of brave of him," said Mateo Daza, 16, from Belgium. "I hope there's something more political behind [it]."
People who have climbed other structures in New York have been arrested and faced charges such as reckless endangerment and trespassing.
