Man Surrenders After 21-Plus Hours Atop Bethlehem SteelStacks

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (CBS/AP) – A bizarre stunt saw a man climb to the top of a former Bethlehem Steel Corp. blast furnace for nearly 24 hours, authorities say. He refused to come down for about 21-plus hours, prompting an evacuation of the arts and entertainment venue at the eastern Pennsylvania site.

Authorities say the man surrendered to police around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. He climbed up and down a ladder atop the SteelStacks campus several times before committing to come down with police health.

An outdoor concert was scheduled at the SteelStacks campus but about 1,500 people were evacuated after the man climbed up shortly before 7 p.m. Friday, balancing precariously on a single steel beam hundreds of feet above the venue.

Police released a photo and asked the public's help in identifying the man,Meanwhile, officers climbed to a platform below and talked to him for hours.

"Throughout the evening the Bethlehem Crisis Negotiation Team, two of the members, have been communicating with him, attempting to negotiate with him to come down peacefully," Bethlehem Police Chief Mark DiLuzio said. "We are asking the general public to please stay out of this area, we don't want to supply this man with an audience and give him some time and space so we can negotiate with him and ends this peacefully."

Most of the events planned for Saturday were either canceled or postponed.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)