Naked man arrested after allegedly flooding San Francisco apartment building
SAN FRANCISCO -- Police in San Francisco arrested a man early Tuesday who was found naked in a luxury apartment building on Van Ness Avenue after allegedly opening a pipe that flooded the structure.
According to police, on Tuesday at around 6:12 a.m., police responded to the building located on the 100 block of Van Ness Avenue after a report of a vandalism. Arriving officers met with San Francisco firefighters who arrived on scene first after a fire alarm was activated in the building.
Firefighters found a naked male -- reportedly a resident of the building -- drenched in water standing next a pipe that was putting a large amount of water on the 11th floor. Police said the flow of water appeared to have caused extensive property damage.
The water flooded several floors below the floor where the pipe was opened, according to a report and photos published on the San Francisco Standard website. The water was shut off and the naked male was detained.
Police developed probable cause to arrest the individual -- identified as 46-year-old Michael Nien. He was booked into San Francisco County Jail for felony vandalism and resisting/delaying arrest.
Speaking of substandard housing: 100 Van Ness is flooding right now. It's from the 11th floor down. Looks significantly worse than 33 Tehama. I wonder if J. Tandler's parents own this place, too? pic.twitter.com/5RfaJhljCU
— SRO Martha Stewart (@Wagnerian) October 11, 2022
Several Twitter and Instagram accounts posted images and video of the flooding on Tuesday.
According to the 100 Van Ness website, the apartment building was an office building from 1974 to 2010, serving as the longtime home to the California State Automobile Association. Apartments at the building range from studios renting for $3,100 per month to two-bedrooms renting for $6,500.
Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and start the message with SFPD.