Man Climbs Atop Philadelphia's City Hall And No One Noticed
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)—A man was somehow able to climb to the top of Philadelphia's City Hall clock tower and he has the video to prove it.
The rooftopper, who only goes by the name Carson King, posted the nearly seven-minute video of him dangling his feet roughly 500-feet above the city of Brotherly Love.
King says he enjoys documenting history and climbed City Hall while it was under construction sometime this year.
"I believe that this is the only video you will ever see of someone doing this and I went up by myself." he writes in a YouTube post of the video under the account Exploring with Carson. "I travel to document and photograph abandoned buildings and structures….I do lots of abandoned places to document the history but I cannot say the locations."
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Video shows King climbing a ladder, glimpses of the Philadelphia sky line and then more climbing. He eventually gets to the top where the iconic hollow bronze statue of William Penn was getting its once-in-a-decade spa treatment.
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Somehow King was able to make it all the way to the top of one of the largest municipal building in the United States without any trouble.
"Nobody was in sight and there were no signs posting saying 'do not enter' or 'no trespassing' which was very surprising," he says.
King says nothing was vandalized during his excursion.
"We don't intend any harm and we don't mess with anything in the places we go. We go to take pictures and nothing more. The public has a negative view on what we do and I want to change that," King tells CBS3.
As for where he'll climb next?
King says, "I cannot say the locations."
City officials say they have seen the video.
"We're extremely concerned by this video," city spokesperson Mike Dunn tells CBS Philly. "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."
In response to city officials, King says they know the risks and the video isn't meant to encourage others.
"The video isn't meant to encourage other people to do the same as the officials said. We know what we are doing and we know the risks. You could even call us professionals. I strongly suggest a normal citizen doesn't try this," said King.
King has explored a 200 year old Victorian mansion, an abandoned medical college and even the Olympic stadium from the 2004 Athens Olympic games.
