The Trump fan who went to new heights to chat with his hero
A DONALD Trump supporter was arrested after scaling 250ft up the side of Trump Tower to try to speak to the billionaire.
Stephen Rogata, 19, was hauled in through an open window after his 17-storey climb.
He had used powerful suction devices to climb up the glass building in New York.
In a video posted on Facebook he said he did not try to approach Mr Trump, pictured, by more conventional means because he’s a ‘busy man’.
Rogota was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing. The episode had been streamed live on social media.
Hundreds gathered at the bottom of the 58storey Trump Tower to watch, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Police chief William Aubrey said Rogata’s ‘sole intention was to meet with Mr Trump’.
Trump Tower is the billionaire’s headquarters for both his real estate empire and for the Republican candidate’s Presidential run.
Police said at about 3.30pm on Wednesday Rogata used ropes and a harness to climb upwards from a fourth floor terrace.
The police smashed a window on the sixteenth floor to try and coax him inside, but he ignored them.
Other officers set up airbags on the ground in case Rogota fell.
Detective Christopher Williams eventually grabbed the climber, saying: ‘Sir, you need to come with me.’
Footage showed Detective Williams and a colleague wrestling Rogota inside around 5.30pm.
Detective Williams said Rogota ‘thought about’ resisting arrest but came peacefully.
The New York Daily News reported that Rogata, who is from Great Falls, Virginia, may be bipolar. He is in police custody at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where he will undergo a psychological evaluation.
On Tuesday Rogota posted a video to Facebook called: ‘Message to Mr. Trump (why I climbed your tower)’. In it, he said: ‘I am an independent researcher seeking a private audience with you to discuss an important matter.
‘Believe me, if my purpose was not significant, I would not risk my life pursuing it’.
After the rescue Mr Trump Tweeted: ‘Great job today by the NYPD in protecting the people and saving the climber’.