VIDEO: Man swings at edge of crane in downtown Austin
Man seen swinging from downtown Austin crane
A man seen swinging from a construction crane in downtown Austin on Sunday had lots of people looking up.
AUSTIN, Texas - A man seen swinging from a construction crane in downtown Austin on Sunday had lots of people looking up.
Austin police are continuing to look for the man involved.
What we know:
Austin police said on Sunday, April 20, around 9:59 a.m., officers responded to a check welfare call in the 400 block of Guadalupe Street. The caller said there was a person hanging off the edge of the crane at the top of the building.
When officers arrived, they found a person who appeared to be repelling from the end of the crane on top of the building.
The area was evacuated out of an abundance of caution.
COURTESY:JACK ZIMMERMANN
Shortly after, the person climbed down flights inside the crane's ladder and entered the high-rise building.
At this time, the person involved had not been identified.
No arrests have been made.
This is an ongoing investigation.
What we don't know:
A spokesperson for APD did not explain how the two people on the crane were able to get away, even though the area around the building was evacuated.
Austinites react
Local perspective:
This video of a man swinging from a construction crane was recorded by Jack Zimmermann on Sunday.
Zimmermann was in a high-rise across from a building known as the Republic that’s located at the corner of 4th and Guadalupe.
The video went viral. Eric Tucker was among the many people who viewed the post.
"I thought that was pretty crazy, I thought maybe it was a new form of base jumping," said Tucker.
The video was so amazing, Joann Gomez initially thought what she saw online couldn’t be real.
"No, I thought it was AI, but then again, I don't know, just crazy people nowadays," said Gomez.
Several people were in Republic Square on Sunday and witnessed the stunt.
VIDEO: Person seen swinging on edge of crane in Austin
Austin police are investigating after a person was seen swinging on the edge of a crane at a high-rise building in downtown Austin. (Video courtesy: Jack Zimmermann)
"I could not watch after I saw him dangling there because I thought he was going to cut the cable or whatever," said Greg Winjum.
The man made several wide swings from the crane. A selfie stick appeared to be in one of his hands. On the crane's arm there is also a second person watching as the man on the line swings below.
"I want to know how he got up there. I mean, did you see the selfie poll too? I want to see his perspective," said Sydney Lee.
Sunday's incident was frightening for those who gathered around a nearby coffee shop.
"It was crazy, we were all very scared, just staring up there the whole time, worried he was going to fall. But luckily, he didn't, and I guess he got away," said Adrienne Tenny, who works at the coffee shop.
In the man’s climb back to the arm of the crane, a safety line can be seen.
"And he climbed himself back up and then the arms right here that are attached to the building, he climbed over into the building, and then you never saw him again," said Eve Lessing.
Dig deeper:
There have been other cases of crane climbing in Austin.
In September 2023, first responders brought a man down from a site along 6th Street. A year earlier, at the Republic site, a man was arrested and charged with trespassing.
The Source: Information from the Austin Police Department and interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski