New York police arrested a Florida man last Friday after he was seen throwing pieces of furniture from a high-rise building in Midtown Manhattan.
An NYPD spokesman told PEOPLE that officers responded to the call shortly after 2 p.m. local time and took Jean Oliver, 33, into custody about 15 minutes after he began throwing pieces of furniture from the 20th floor of the building at 555 Fifth Ave., near 46 St.
“Once inside the location, the male proceeded to the outdoor patio on the 20th floor, where he proceeded to throw numerous items of furniture (tables, benches, chairs) onto the sidewalk and street as pedestrians walked by,” the spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
A large crowd of bystanders gathered on the street below to watch Oliver continue to yell and throw things from the building. Other groups gathered in nearby office buildings to watch from across the street.
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555 Fifth Avenue Building.
Google Maps
Oliver, who police say is from West Park, Fla., was charged with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
Footage of the incident has been circulating on social networks for the past few days.
In one video posted on the Citizen app from across the street, a shirtless man can be seen throwing chairs and tables from a tall building with the Empire State Building in the background.
At several points in the video, the man can be seen continuing to throw pieces of furniture from the roof, throwing his hands in the air, screaming and waving at onlookers, and getting into an argument with passers-by who are shouting at him from several floors below.
“Oh my God!” one person could be heard in the background of the video, watching as the man continued to throw heavy objects from the roof.
Other observers debated why it took the police so long to respond to the incident and whether the shirtless man could have escaped without being caught.
“I don’t think he wants to run,” one person responds to the idea, as witnesses continue to watch the man.
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Local PIX11 reported that police appeared to shut down part of the street as they responded to the incident.
No one was injured by the falling debris, according to the press release New York Daily News.
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Source: HIS Education