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A 20-year-old man was safely brought down by NYPD emergency responders Monday evening after scaling one of the Roosevelt Island Tramway’s towering support structures, stunning bystanders and prompting a major emergency response on the surrounding streets below.
Photo c/o Citizen App
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The climber, identified by police as Miguel Martinez of Oceanside, Long Island, was first spotted just before 7 p.m. walking along the narrow gangway of the tram’s 250-foot-tall Manhattan-side tower near East 60th Street and York Avenue.
According to police and video footage reviewed by the NY Post, Martinez appeared calm as he paced back and forth high above the East River, even stopping at points to look at his phone and take in the view. At one point, he descended a ladder only to climb out onto a thin steel beam.
As reports of the dangerous stunt poured in, the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit responded with climbing gear. Police drones and an NYPD helicopter hovered overhead as officers scaled the structure.
Photo c/o Citizen App
Photo c/o Citizen App
Below, officers and firefighters from the FDNY looked on from Andrew Haswell Green Park as the tense scene unfolded.
Martinez was eventually secured in safety gear and escorted down without injury. He was transported to Weill-Cornell Medical Center for evaluation. When we reached out to the NYPD on Tuesday, we were told that he was arrested on charges of Reckless Endangerment, Criminal Trespassing and Obstructing Governmental Administration.
Police say there’s no indication the climb was connected to any protest or political cause.
The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which runs between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island, remained operational during the incident.
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