According to various reports, a man who was completely nude was spotted on top of the raised Florida East Coast railway drawbridge over the New River around 8:30 a.m.
One witness says they recognized the man as a local homeless person, per the Sun Sentinel.
It's not clear how the man got up on the drawbridge, but rescue officials from Fort Lauderdale and the Broward Sheriff's Office have been at the scene since 9:30 a.m. trying to talk the man down. The area is located west of Andrews Avenue, along the 100 block of SW Second Street.
Around 10 a.m., officials were able to climb up the drawbridge and handed the man a white towel to wrap around his waist.
They then were successfully able to get the man onto a harness rig, where they brought him down without incident.
UPDATE - Fort Lauderdale naked man has been clothed and is being taken down to safety. Good job firefighters. pic.twitter.com/02CMY9ZPAN
— Vic Micolucci - WJXT (@WJXTvic) May 22, 2015NBC 6 TV: Crews working to rescue naked man who is atop a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, bridge. - @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/DwLda2l2Z3
— Mark Murphy (@MarkMurphy2011) May 22, 2015The woman, who had just completed a breast cancer walk, wandered over to the bridge despite warnings from signs and pedestrians to keep off the bridge. The bridge eventually opened, and the woman found herself stranded as it went up. Fire rescue had to save her, and she was eventually charged with trespassing.
We'll update this story as more information comes in.
