Man climbs to top of cellular tower while livestreaming video, Florida cops say
A man in Florida is accused of climbing to the top of a cellular tower — all for a social media video.
Someone called the sheriff’s office on Feb. 24 to report a person climbing up a cellular tower in Riverview, according to a Feb. 26 post from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Deputies surrounded the tower, and the department sent up a helicopter to find the man, the sheriff’s office said. The man was not identified and his age was not released.
In a video captured by the helicopter’s camera, a person can be seen making their way down the inside ladder of the tower.
Over the radio, deputies say the person is about one-fourth of the way from the top, and the video zooms in on the person descending.
The sheriff’s office did not say how high the tower was, but they can reach anywhere from 50 to 400 feet, according to a tower consulting firm.
When the person reached the ground, he was met by a deputy who asked if he made it all the way.
“You made it all the way to the top top?” the deputy asked in the video.
“Yeah,” the man said.
“That’s pretty crazy,” the deputy responds.
The sheriff’s office said the man climbed the tower to live-stream a video on social media, then climbed down when it was finished.
He was taken into custody, the sheriff’s office said, but they did not release what charges he faces.
Riverview is about 15 miles southeast of Tampa.
