ORLANDO, Fla. – A man scaled a 400-foot tower outside the WKMG-TV News 6 studios Wednesday morning, prompting authorities to close access in and out of the station as Orlando police crisis negotiators attempted to talk the man down.
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After four hours of the man standing near the top of the tower, Orlando firefighters started to climb the structure with climbing equipment to help him down. However, once the firefighters started to ascend the tower, the man climbed higher to the top of the structure.
Around 3:45 p.m. the man started to climb down, taking frequent breaks.
The situation began around 11 a.m. when News 6 traffic anchor Trooper Steve Montiero witnessed the man, who was wearing gym clothing and a backpack, going into a secured area before climbing the tower.
The man made it at least 300 feet up the tower before stopping. He then climbed to the top.
Orlando police arrived at the TV station at 4466 N. John Young Parkway near Orange Blossom Trail just after 11 a.m. and are communicating with the man via a bullhorn in an effort to get him to descend safely.
Two @OrlandoFireDept firefighters are ascending the #News6 TV tower in hopes of bringing down the man who climbed up there around 11 this morning. pic.twitter.com/8XLJTfsQGs
— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) September 18, 2019
[RELATED: Why News 6 is not livestreaming incident | Support websites]
Police believe they have identified the man, who they say has a "known history of mental illness." Negotiators have spoken with the man's family, police said.
Negotiators are calling him a name based on information they found in a backpack he left on the ground.
Montiero said the messaging used by police negotiators was, "We're here just to help you."
"The only goal that anyone wants out of this is for this individual to come down safely," Trooper Steve said. "When you jump fences onto private property and scale a 400-foot tower, you start to worry people."
News 6 engineers routinely scale the tower for maintenance work, but they always wear safety equipment and use a harness.
It's not known why the man climbed the tower.
"The safety of our community, our employees and this gentleman are of paramount concern to us at WKMG," said Jeff Hoffman, vice president and general manager of WKMG-TV. "We are thankful for the Orlando Police Department and Orlando Fire Department's prompt response and hope this comes to a safe conclusion."
News 6 is not livestreaming the incident due to the unpredictability of the situation.
For perspective, the Washington Monument stands 555 feet tall.
Stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates.