Mysterious hooded figure scales 250-foot-high Roosevelt Island Tram tower in nail-biting clip
The 20-year-old suspect was seen nonchalantly walking back and forth along the gangway of the tramway's 250-feet-tall support tower on the Manhattan side, wild video obtained by The Post shows.
The clip shows the urban climber stopping occasionally to lean against a railing and look at his phone.
4 A young man climbed the support beams of the Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City on June 15, 2025.
Obtained by the NY Post
At one point, he descends and climbs a series of short ladders on the tower and makes his way out onto an I-beam barely wide enough to accommodate his feet, the nail-biting video shows.
Shocked New Yorkers called 911 to report a figure climbing up the tower just before 7 p.m., police said.
Cops responded to the tramway and used climbing gear to make their way up to the suspect as an NYPD helicopter hovered overhead.
As officers made their way to the top, the suspect made a defiant gesture, spreading his arms out at them, according to the footage.
Meanwhile, ESU officers and FDNY firefighters staged below the tower along Andrew Haswell Green Park craned their necks up to watch the mysterious figure's antics.
4 The 20-year-old suspect was seen nonchalantly walking back and forth along the gangway of the tramway's 250-feet-tall support tower on the Manhattan side.
Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post
4 Cops responded to the tramway and used climbing gear to make their way up to the suspect as an NYPD helicopter hovered overhead.
Obtained by the NY Post
The brave cops who reached the tower's peak secured the 20-year-old in safety gear and brought him down to ground level without injury, police said.
The thrill-seeking suspect was taken by paramedics to Weill-Cornell Medical Center, according to the FDNY.
He was not identified by police and charges were pending Monday night.
4 People ride the tramway from Roosevelt Island as a rally in support of priority boarding for Roosevelt Island residents and workers takes place at Tramway Plaza in New York City on June 8, 2025.
Leonardo Munoz
Police said there is no indication that the climber was associated with a protest or a cause, but the incident remains under investigation.
In 2004, an Astoria man was removed from the tower by the NYPD after he climbed to the top of the Tramway. Gerard Corrar, 55, was arrested and charged with trespass.
A decade ago, the hidden camera reality show Impractical Jokers pulled a prank where a character named Captain Fat Belly went to the top of the tower as part of a stunt.
The NYPD did not confirm whether the television show had approval to climb the tower, but a reality television producer said it was highly unlikely they would do something that risky without getting it cleared by the city first.
Additional reporting by Kevin C. Downs
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