Leaf me be! Qns. man climbs tree to duck cops

Me Tarzan. You cops.

An unhinged 44-year-old man wanted for threatening his mother and assaulting his girlfriend climbed up a tree outside his Queens home to avoid cops — and has remained there for more than 24 hours, police said Thursday.

The renegade arborist (photo) remained in a tall spruce on the sidewalk outside his home Thursday refusing to come down, despite pleas from police for him to come back to earth, cops said.

Police were called to a two-story Springfield Gardens home on 145th Ave. near 225th St. about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday after the man argued with his family and had threatened his mother, authorities said.

When cops arrived, they realized that he was also wanted for punching his 50-yearold girlfriend on Sept. 30 as the two sat in a car on Merrick Blvd. near 225th St., but the man refused to surrender, police said.

In an attempt to flee, he scrambled to the top of the home’s peaked roof and refused to come down, cops said.

As the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit and hostage negotiation team were dispatched to encourage his surrender, he jumped from the roof onto a thick branch of a 30-foot tree on the sidewalk outside the home, officials said.

That was Wednesday.

By 3 p.m. Thursday, cops were getting hoarse encouraging the man to climb down.

The street remained blocked off to traffic as authorities and neighbors tried to coax him down and even offered him beer and rum as an incentive.

Sandra Dee, who lives around the block, said the man often goes up the tree, which is on his mother’s property, where he lives.

“He’s in his own tree. This seems like overkill. He didn’t threaten anyone. He’s not violent,” Dee, 58, said.

“They’re trying to get him out, and he won’t come out. He says he don’t trust them because he was abused by cops and correction officers. He was in jail for two years. He said when he was in jail he was abused.”

Another neighbor, who gave only his first name of Roy, agreed that the police response was much ado about nothing.

“It’s almost like nobody has the right to do anything anymore in the U.S.,” said

Roy, who was childhood friends with the tree lover.

“The man’s climbed a tree just like anybody could climb a tree,” Roy said. “Nobody called for no violence, nothing like that. Now they’re holding the guy hostage since yesterday . ... He’s not doing anything. It’s not illegal to climb your own tree in your yard, guys.”