Man who spent 18 hours on Hawthorne Bridge tower arrested after causing ‘extended closure’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was arrested on Friday morning after he spent over 18 hours in the Hawthorne Bridge tower structure, the crisis response for which halted traffic overnight, authorities said.

Portland police said a man in his mid-40s was arrested and accused of multiple charges, including first-degree criminal trespass, interfering with public transportation and second-degree disorderly conduct. This comes after the man came down from the tower at 9 a.m. Friday morning after spending the previous night refusing to come down, police said.

Officials said since there was a concern the man spotted “on one of the bridge catwalks” may be in a mental health crisis, the Enhanced Crisis Response Team and Portland Fire and Rescue both responded. Firefighters were also able to equip officers with safety harnesses during the operation.

Police said that at first, officers offered the man multiple opportunities to climb down “without facing criminal charges and offered him medical help.” However, when the man continually refused, they warned him he could face criminal charges.

“Despite hours of attempts, the man refused to come down,” the Portland Police Bureau said in a press release, which caused the “extended closure.”

“Using time as a de-scalation tactic, officers backed off and allowed him time and space,” police said.

The man stayed up in the structure all night, officials said. First responders said they considered other strategies to get the man down but all of them were deemed “too dangerous for the man and the responders.”

Officials from Multnomah County posted traffic closure signs during the incident.

The bridge was reopened at 9:30 a.m.