NEW YORK: A 20-year-old man scaling Trump Tower in New York City 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.
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 nominee.
The man reached the 21st story of the 58-story tower on Fifth Avenue which is Trump’s headquarters for his presidential campaign.
The Republican presidential candidate responded via Twitter late Wednesday, writing, “Great job today by the NYPD (New York Police Department) 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 a hospital 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.
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 the Hospital for psychological evaluation and, later, arrest.
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.
