60 hour police standoff on Washington DC radio tower ends with a jump

A man has jumped to his death 60 hours after climbing halfway up Washington DC’s largest the largest FM broadcast antenna on Tuesday. The 321 foot long antenna serves WAMU & WTOP in the Van Ness neighborhood.

At first, the Metropolitan Police Department and passerby’s did not know if this was politically related or an unfortunate mental health problem. The matter is now a death investigation, according to the MPD.

D.C. police reported receiving initial calls about a man climbing a broadcast tower on American University’s campus shortly after 3 p.m. on Tuesday. WAMU, originally lost radio signal on Tuesday following the person climbing and disrupting the signal, WAMU reported.

Throughout the ordeal, the man, dressed in a red hoodie and carrying a backpack, was seen pacing on a platform approximately halfway up the tower. There is no detail on the identity of the person.

In a letter from Vice President Bronté Burleigh-Jones to the AU community on Friday Morning, Bronté expressed gratitude to the AUPD, grief for the individual who lost his life and says that this remains an active investigation and to avoid the area.

‘Dear AU Community,

It is with deep sorrow that we share the situation at the American University campus broadcast tower resulted in the death of the individual who had climbed the tower. The Metropolitan Police Department, DC Fire, and AUPD response teams worked tirelessly over the past three days to safely conclude the situation, but unfortunately the outcome was tragic.

The scene remains an active investigation. Please continue to avoid the area.

Any community member needing support following these heartbreaking events can access campus resources, including the Center for Well-Being and Psychological Services and the AU ProtoCall 24-hour support line (202-885-7979) for students and the BHS service for faculty and staff and their families.

Thank you to AUPD and our local emergency responders who supported our community and handled this situation with exemplary care and professionalism. Please keep them in your thoughts as we begin to recover from this tragedy.

Sincerely,
Bronté Burleigh-Jones
CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer’

Photo from FOX 5 DC