Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
18-Yr-Old Arrested While Livestreaming His Climb Of The Queensboro Bridge
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 23, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
(Youtube)
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 23, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An 18-year-old man was caught climbing the Queensboro Bridge (a.k.a. 59th Street Bridge, a.k.a. Ed Koch Bridge) on Thursday.
The man, identified by police as Malik Sanchez, filmed his encounter with the police: When an NYPD Special Operations officer appears, Sanchez yells, "I appreciate you!" and adds, "I'm not suicidal!" Previously during the livestream of his journey, he was answering viewers' comments, telling them, "I'm not gonna die, you idiot!"
Sanchez started climbing around 4:45 p.m.; he referred to the bridge as the "Queens Bridge" on his livestream, explaining how he wanted to get a great view of New York and be the "King of New York." His livestream also accepted tips from viewers, with an automated voice reading out their profane and racist comments during the filming. As he climbed, he crows, "Get ready for the choppers, boys!"
As the officer approaches him, Sanchez also asks his mother to access the donations he received during the climb "through my Paypal," ostensibly for bail money. The officer is seen carefully securing himself as he makes his way towards Sanchez, who brags that he just climbed it with no gear.
The NYPD did remove Sanchez, who lives in Manhattan, from the bridge, and charged him with reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of a noxious substance (pepper spray), and criminal trespass.
Sanchez is also accused of pepper-spraying a woman in Chelsea earlier this week; according to the Daily News, the woman was sprayed by someone after she confronted them for filming her.
In recent years, the city's bridges and skyscrapers have become tempting for people to take selfies for social media. One University of Tennessee student explained, after he was arrested for climbing on the Brooklyn Bridge's cables, "I didn’t have any clue that NYC is ramping up security. There was nobody there to stop me from climbing onto the bridge."
Tagged
nypd
queensboro bridge
criminal trespass
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans. We could get used to this.
Seeing high hopes dashed had become so routine, it was part of our identity. This year feels different.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
News
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
By
Rosemary Misdary
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .