#ManInTree: Trending Seattle man finally vacates tree after 25 hours (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)
Seattle had a situation. There was a man… at the top of an 80ft city center tree... And he refused to come down.
Spectators breathed a sigh of relief when the man eventually decided to climb down from the tree. Once safely on the ground, he was placed on a gurney and taken to a waiting ambulance.
#BREAKING After 24 hours atop tree in downtown Seattle #ManInTree has come down to ground. https://t.co/3MnR6SJI02pic.twitter.com/yLSteRDX36
— KIRO 7 (@KIRO7Seattle) March 23, 2016
The as-yet unidentified man climbed to the top of the sequoia tree right in the middle of downtown Seattle at approximately 11 a.m (local time) on Tuesday.
Here's a short video. #ManInTree is hard to see but he's there. It's actually an @SeattlePD officer talking to him. pic.twitter.com/isugD82Sl3
— Northwest Urbanist (@NWUrbanist) March 22, 2016
A rescue effort was quickly launched, the street was shut down, and firefighters attended the scene.
Negotiators tried unsuccessfully for hours to talk the man down from the tree, instead, they appeared to further frustrate the man who threw apples, branches and pine cones at them.
Negotiators still attempting to safely talk #ManInTree down from 80-foot sequoia in downtown Seattle: https://t.co/suHsXDBQtz
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) March 23, 2016
It’s still not clear who the man is, why he climbed the tree, or what mental state he is in, but Seattle Police Department seem to believe “the issue” was between the man and the tree.
.@heyjessibrown There will likely be traffic impacts in the area, but issue appears to be between the man and the tree.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) March 22, 2016
.@mirahwood Still under investigation. We've got negotiators en root.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) March 22, 2016
As is to be expected, social media users have been following this story closely and with great zeal. The Twitter conversation about the incident has ranged from concern over his health, to joy over his simple expression of defiance.
The police turned off the lights. #ManInTree responded by building a fort. I have never wanted a person to live more than this man.
— Nick Hilden (@LifeDoneWrite) March 23, 2016
The #ManInTree is a sad example of what our mental health problems are. Question is, what should we do about it? pic.twitter.com/ISPBTHjyop
— Peter Mongillo (@PeterMonPhotog) March 23, 2016
RT if the first thing you did on waking up today was check to see if #ManInTree was still up there
— brian (@briancolella) March 23, 2016
#ManInTree just hanging around. #OnlyInSeattle@KIRO7Seattle@AlisonKIRO7@NatashaKIRO7 going on 7 hours. pic.twitter.com/qkxV23zYyn
— Damien Glitch (@DamienKIRO7) March 23, 2016
#ManInTree now has a Twitter account, a crowd of spectators are reporting on his every move, and a live feed from the scene had been running on KomoNews.com for the last eight hours.
#ManInTree looks exactly like every Seattle man's Tinder pic. pic.twitter.com/9ArC7tLcXv
— Kayla (@VixenRogue) March 23, 2016
#manintree wears a beard & flannel, loves apples, smokes cigs, & climbs trees? All of Seattle is wondering if it's their friend up in a tree
— Daniel Crabtree (@dtree173) March 23, 2016
#ManInTree is staying put. Overheard: "I heard he has been up there so long he's been promoted to branch manager." pic.twitter.com/BOrNPi7ReC
— Liz Perry (@lizperry915) March 23, 2016
At one point, Seattle’s self-styled “real-life superhero”Phoenix Jones attempted to bring him some “supplies” (aka a beer and some smokes), but police stopped him before a ‘two-men-in-a-tree’ situation developed.
#ManInTree if this is not solved by 8 o'clock I will come up with a strategy and attempt to help. Sometimes only crazy can help crazy.
— Phoenix Jones (@ThePhoenixJones) March 23, 2016
So we are here but Spd says it's under control and they don't want our help. Nine hours still stuck #letphoenixhelppic.twitter.com/8O5TcTd0FV
— Phoenix Jones (@ThePhoenixJones) March 23, 2016
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