Man arrested for scaling Brooklyn Bridge tower, snapping photos

[August 25, 2014]  (Reuters) - A New York City man was arrested on Sunday after climbing to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, where he snapped photos with his phone before answering police demands to come down, authorities said.

The man, identified as Yaroslav Kolchin, 24, faces charges including criminal trespass and reckless endangerment for the afternoon stunt that occurred as the iconic bridge linking Brooklyn and Manhattan was packed with tourists.

Kolchin ascended a support beam connected to the tower on the Brooklyn side of the bridge, which stands about 276 feet (84 meters) above water, the New York City Police Department said.

The incident prompted a response from police teams on the ground as well as from the harbor and aviation unit.

"A uniformed sergeant observed the individual climbing the cable beam and broadcasted the suspect's description and location over the police radio," a police statement said.

The suspect reached the top of the tower where he walked back and forth and "took photos with his iPhone," police said.

A helicopter hovered at level with the man, who did not cause any damage during the incident. He eventually descended and was taken into custody.

Nobody was injured, police said.

Sunday's climb comes weeks after another high-profile stunt on the bridge, when someone apparently scaled the span and swapped out two American flags with white flags.

Two German artists have said they carried out that stunt. The flags were back on American soil Sunday, but police did not know where.

(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Leslie Adler)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.