Philadelphia

Caught on Cam: Man Climbs Philadelphia City Hall; Police Now Investigating

A man posted his climb up to William Penn atop Philadelphia's iconic City Hall online, draws attention of police & city officials

A man climbed to the top of Philadelphia’s iconic city hall and then posted the video online -- it was later deleted -- leading to a police investigation into how he got up there and if he should face criminal charges.

The city called the climb up the clock tower “dangerous and illegal.”

The climber, who identified himself as Carson King, posted video of his climb over the weekend but didn’t reveal exactly when he climbed up to the William Penn statue atop the roughly 500-foot tall tower.

King said he climbed the building while scaffolding was up earlier this year for renovations and the maintenance of the bronze William Penn statue at its apex. He even posted a photo to Instagram with his legs dangling over the ground below.

The trip up the occupied and functioning building is a departure for King: Most of his YouTube videos feature exploring abandoned buildings. He even posted video earlier this year of himself touring abandoned Philly spots, including the famous Blue Horizon boxing hall on Broad Street.

By Wednesday morning, King's YouTube channel and the City Hall climb video had been taken down. It was unclear why the page was removed.

King, who lists Mexico City as his home city climbed the building to take pictures from a unique vantage point, he said.

Local

Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.

Charges dropped against teen in deadly SEPTA station shooting

Toddler shot, killed in Allentown, police say

The video isn't meant to spawn copycats, he said. Many of his video descriptions urge people not to trespass.

City spokesman Mike Dunn said officials have seen the video and called the actions "dangerous and illegal."

“We’re extremely concerned by this video,” he said. “What this person did was dangerous and illegal. The scaffolding is now down, but Philadelphians should be aware of the extreme risk they pose to their personal safety if they engage in activity like this.”

It was unclear if there were any "do not enter" signs posted at the time of the climb.

Central detectives confirmed they were investigating the incident.

"What might seem adventurous or recreational is very, very, very, very dangerous, I can't stress that enough," Philadelphia Police Public Affairs Captain Sekou Kinebrew. "It's also possibly illegal, we are actually looking at it from a trespassing standpoint."

King declined NBC10's request for an interview.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us