BY KEVIN SAWYER – A 20 year old man from Virginia was nabbed by the New York City Police as he was in the middle of climbing the side of the 58 story Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York City yesterday. The man told police that he sought “a private audience” with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The police hauled him in as he reached the 21st floor of the giant building and was immediately carted off to nearby Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric examination by doctors. After the police grabbed him, he was strapped to a stretcher and carted to the hospital in an ambulance. No one explained why they felt he needed to be psychologically evaluated. The man was scaling the building during the height of rush hour traffic on busy Fifth Avenue and scores of people stopped to watch and take photos of the daring climb.
Trump responded in a Tweet saying, “Great job today by the NYPD in protecting the people and saving the climber.”
Police have refused to release the man’s name to the media and the Virginia man hasn’t publicly said why be believed Donald Trump would be in Trump Tower yesterday and possibly available to meet with him. Trump Tower is where Trump has his political and business offices and Trump actually does live in the building. However, yesterday, Trump was in Virginia and was on his way to Florida for political rallies and speeches on Thursday. Police will likely arrest him after he is released from Bellevue Hospital and the charges are thought to be for trespassing and disorderly conduct.
The man ascended the skyscraper using a rope harness with stirrups and large suction cups attached to his hands. Police will announce his name once they have determined what it is because the man has, apparently, gone by aliases in the past. The man was registered at a nearby hotel.
It was like a slow motion game of hide and seek as the police tried getting to him with platforms used by the city’s window washers as well as breaking windows in an effort to reach out and grab him. The man kept inching away from their grasp but was finally apprehended at 6:30 PM Eastern by the police. Two police officers reached out of a broken window, quickly seized his arms, and dragged him inside of the the building.
The young Virginia man did leave behind a video message explaining his actions:
“I am an independent researcher seeking a private audience with you (Trump) to discuss an important matter. I guarantee that it’s in your interest to honor this request. Believe me, if my purpose was not significant, I would not risk my life pursuing it. The reason I climbed your tower is to get your attention. If I had sought this through conventional means, I would be much less likely to have success because you are a busy man with many responsibilities.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Reuters / The Associated Press