Teenager Scales Elizabeth Bridge, Gets Stuck In I-Beam Crawl Space
ELIZABETH (KDKA) -- A teenage boy is in hot water with his father after he brought rush hour traffic on the Elizabeth Bridge to a halt when he had to be rescued from a catwalk under the structure.
Emergency crews from all over Allegheny County converged underneath the Elizabeth Bridge Friday when a 14-year-old boy got stuck in a crawl space inside an I-beam.
KDKA's Paul Martino: "Did you ask him what the heck he was doing up there?"
"I think he was just being a kid," said Chief Alvin Henderson, of Allegheny Department of Emergency Services.
Officials say Dominick Sciaretti climbed up the bridge's superstructure and got stuck in a hole some 60- to 70-feet above ground. A tactical rescue team had to carefully bring him down.
His father is thankful.
"All the men and women did a great job saving my son from where he shouldn't have been," said Kirk Sciaretti. "He's not going to be down here fishing anytime soon."
It took a couple of hours to get the boy safely down.
Meanwhile, the bridge was closed and evening rush hour traffic was backed up for miles.
"We had to shut down for the Elizabeth Bridge. It's very heavily traveled, but it had to be done for the safety of the victim, plus the safety of the first responders" said Chief Henderson.
They say Dominick was okay when they brought him down. He was talking to rescuers and in stable condition. It could have been a lot worse.
"You're at least 60- to 70-foot above the ground area where he was located. That fall could have been devastating to him," Chief Henderson said.
Things may get worse for Dominick when he gets home.
"He's not going to be doing much more this summer," his father said. "He's going to be grounded for a while."
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