"Spiderman" 1 & 2 in NYC

[x648eng119 2]

So coming on here HOURS after both incidents happened, I couldn't believe nothing was posted on this yet! Alain Robert is one thing climbing a building, but then this second idiot "copycat." Talk about JOB SECURITY!!

2nd Person Climbs To Top Of NY Times Building

Man Not Associated With Person Who Climbed Earlier

Earlier, 'French Spiderman' Arrested After 52-Story Climb

Daredevil Has Conquered More Than 70 Skycrapers

Reporting

Dave Carlin NEW YORK (CBS) ― For the second time Thursday, a man climbed the 52-story wall of the New York Times building.

The stunt drew the attention of thousands of onlookers, along with Chopper 2 HD's camera, which captured the drama in real-time. The climber, who was taken into custody as he reached the top of the building, was identified as Renaldo Clarke, 32, of Brooklyn.

Officers at the scene became concerned that the man might be an emotionally disturbed copycat, and he was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, according to police. There was no working phone number listed under Clarke's name and address.

The building's facade is covered with slats that allowed the men to climb the tower like a ladder.

Clarke wore a T-shirt with the words "Malaria No More," the name of an organization which promotes awareness about malaria and raises money for bed nets. Martin Edlund, a spokesman for the organization, said the climber was not affiliated with the group.

Clarke climbed the wall on the west side of the building by Eighth Avenue around 6 p.m. He was said to be unaffiliated with Alain Robert, the famous French daredevil who scaled the building earlier in the day.

Clarke did not appear to be secured into any type of rope or bungee cord as he made his way up.

It appeared he was growing tired as he continued up, taking breaks as he clung to the wall, occasionally pulling his arms back as if to stretch them out.

Police pulled Clarke to safety when he reached the roof around 6:40 p.m., pulling him over a guardrail and quickly placing him under arrest.

"Only in New York. This is why I live in New York," said 29-year-old Emily Perschetz, who watched the second climber for about 20 minutes.

"You've gotta respect them for trying," she added.

Shaznay Jones was amused as she watched the second climb while smoking a cigarette.

"It looks crazy, like he's on drugs, like he's on something," Jones said. "I never saw anything like this before."

Shortly after noon, Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man" scaled the 52 stories of the Times Square building without a rope or anything securing him except for his own arms and legs. CBS 2 HD's Sean Hennesey was on-hand as the world-renowned climber, worked his way up the walls of the tower at 620 8th Ave. at 41st Street without any assistance.

"He didn't have a belt or anything! He just kept going up and up and I thought, oh my goodness," said witness Sarah Tucker.

Did you take a picture of the French Spiderman? Send us your photos!

That was the thought of those inside offices as they saw Robert, 46, scale past their floors all the way to the top. From the ground, all eyes aimed at the skies.

"He just kept on walking up like that way almost up to the end. Walking up like he was spiderman," said Sarita Garcia.

Along the way, spidey left a message he wanted the world to see in the form of a banner that read, "Global Warming Kills More People Than 9/11 Every Week."

"He's trying to make sure that people get the message that we need to take action calling attention to himself for the cause," said Robert's manager, Julia Cohen.

As Robert headed to the top, rescuers were called in to help but the building itself got in the way. Around 12:20 the man was taken in by authorities on a steel beam atop the building. When he arrived on the beam, he stood up and waved his arms in the air victoriously.

Robert used the building's lattice liike a ladder all the way to the top where police were waiting with harnesses and handcuffs.

"Once he got to the top, they just grabbed him and he walked in. He wasn't resisting or anything," said witness Artie Berkey.

This isn't the first time Robert has caught the attention of New Yorkers. In 1994, he climbed the Calico building, then five years later, it was the Sears tower. Last year in London, it was an office tower. Just this April, he climbed another building in Hong Kong. Now, the New York Times building has it's own place in Robert's aerial acrobatics and New Yorkers have something else to shake their heads about.

According to Robert's Web site, he's scaled over 70 skyscrapers in eight years and says his greatest feat was "the ascent of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi with over 100,000 spectators!"

His Web site also says he climbs even though he suffers from vertigo and is "60 percent disabled" from previous accidents. It says he has been jailed many times but it does not matter because he "would rather stay in a prison than in a hospital."

One city councilman is hoping that Robert gets to know what the inside of a New York City jail looks like.

"Regardless of the cause, in this day and age the police department has more important things to worry about then ridiculous stunts like this that endanger the police and public," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. "If he wants to climb something, he can climb the walls inside his jail cell at Rikers."

The New York Times building opened last year and is surrounding by an impressive steel and glass shutter-like frame.

For more information on the architecture of the building, click here.

Stay tuned to WCBSTV.COM for some videos of the daredevil's previous feats.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report

[Oswegowind 17]

Who's up for doing it next, I am going on Wednesday...looks easy! RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think they are actually nuts, some people just enjoy climbing. We aren't rushing the climbers in Arizona off to the hospital and they do some more daring stuff then climb up the side of building with built in ladders!

[Guest alsfirefighter]

It was pretty interesting to watch..at least the first time anyway.