Man on Light Pole in Times Square Stops Traffic

(news photo: Maureen Pitz)

No sooner had I left the Discovery Times Square, there was a commotion down the street. I stared for a few moments in bewilderment at the event and the crowds it attracted, myself among them. It's amazing what happens by chance in such a high-profile place like Times Square. Here is part of the New York Times report:

A man perched on a traffic-light pole at 44th Street and Seventh Avenue in Times Square for nearly two hours Tuesday morning, drawing a large crowd and forcing a street closure. He came down off the pole at 11:12am and was handcuffed and placed in a police van.

The man who appeared to be in his 30s, climbed the pole around 9:30am, witnesses said, sat on the horizontal struts coming out from the pole -- above the sidewalk, not out over the street where the traffic light hangs -- and periodically stood up and began rapping while facing the MTV building. The police set up an air bag to protect him in case he fell or jumped.

The police closed Seventh Avenue from 45th Street to 43rd Streets to car traffic while the episode unfolded.

"He's a rapper," said a witness. "He's just trying to get played."