A man scales the all-glass face of Trump Tower in New York, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. The 58-story building is headquarters to the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign. He also lives there.
(Alex Cannon via AP)
Alex Cannon via AP
A man scales the all-glass face of Trump Tower in New York, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. The 58-story building is headquarters to the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign. He also lives there.
(Alex Cannon via AP)
Alex Cannon via AP
A man scales the all-glass facade of Trump Tower using suction cups Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, in New York. A police spokeswoman says officers responded to Donald Trump’s namesake skyscraper on Fifth Avenue. The 58-story building is headquarters to the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign. He also lives there.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
A man scales the all-glass facade of Trump Tower, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, in New York. A police spokeswoman says officers responded to Donald Trump’s namesake skyscraper on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The 58-story building is headquarters to the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign. He also lives there.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
A man scales the all-glass facade of Trump Tower using suction cups Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, in New York. A police spokeswoman says officers responded to Donald Trump’s namesake skyscraper on Fifth Avenue. The 58-story building is headquarters to the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign. He also lives there.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
A man scales the all-glass facade of Trump Tower, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, in New York. The 58-story building is headquarters to the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign. He also lives there.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
NEW YORK (AP) — A man began scaling the all-glass facade of Trump Tower on Wednesday using large suction cups.
The climber had a backpack and used a harness and rope stirrups to fasten himself to the side of the 58-story Manhattan skyscraper. He appeared to be at least 10 stories up and still climbing Wednesday evening.
Police officers smashed windows and broke through a ventilation duct in an attempt to block his progress. Officers also lowered themselves toward him using a window washer’s platform.
The climber played a slow-motion cat-and-mouse game with officers, eluding them by methodically working his way across the facade and angled corners of the building.
He was speaking with officers through the holes cut in the side of the building. When would-be rescuers smashed a window above him, he ducked to avoid big shards of glass that fell.
Police deployed large, inflated crash pads at the scene but made no visible attempt to grab him as he passed their positions.
The tower is headquarters to Donald Trump’s Republican presidential campaign and his business empire. Trump also lives there, though he was in Virginia in the afternoon and was headed to Florida for an evening event.
A Trump campaign spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Terraces and other parts of the building are open to the public during the day.
