Naked man climbs Vineland smoke stack
A naked man climbed on top of an out-of-service smoke tower in Vineland, N.J., where police negotiated for three hours Thursday morning to persuade him to come down.
A naked man climbed on top of an out-of-service smoke tower in Vineland, N.J., where police negotiated for three hours Thursday morning to persuade him to come down.
"Luckily we were able to talk him down without him getting hurt, or anyone else getting hurt," said Vineland Detective Lt. Matthew Finley.
About 7:45 a.m., the man climbed the exterior ladder portion of the smokestack, about 200 feet high, setting off concern that he would jump or fall, Finley said.
Emergency crews brought an inflatable cushion, while negotiators talked with the man..
Vineland police, in a news release Thursday, said the man was persuaded to climb down by police as well as his family and friends, who used a police public address system.
The man was identified by police as Miguel Lopez, 51, of Vineland.
The tower is an old smokestack for the municipal electric plant, in the 400 block of North West Avenue.
Finley said that after the man came down, about 10:45 a.m., he was sedated and taken to Inspira Medical Center for evaluation.