An “emotionally distressed” man was taken to the hospital Friday night after he climbed the National Christmas Tree in front of the White House and refused to come down.
U.S. Secret Service shut down the street in front of the executive mansion as a precaution, according to Anna Giaritelli, a reporter for the Washington Examiner who was an eyewitness and posted on Twitter about the incident.
“Secret Service blocked off north side of White House due to incident at Ellipse where man is refusing to climb down from the National Christmas tree,” Giaritelli wrote.
Secret Service blocked off north side of White House due to incident at Ellipse where man is refusing to climb down from the National Christmas tree pic.twitter.com/WBcU5BcJuV
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) December 22, 2018
The man has yet to be identified but was described by National Park Service Sgt. Eduardo Delgado as being in “emotional distress,” according to the New York Daily News.
He was reportedly first discovered in the National Christmas Tree at around 5:45 p.m. Two police negotiators arrived and, after nearly an hour of effort, managed to talk the fellow down. He was subsequently taken to a mental hospital for evaluation.