A man who climbed a radio tower at American University on Tuesday jumped from the structure Friday morning in what appears to be a suicide, police say.
The man, who has yet to be identified, climbed halfway up the 321-foot-high tower and refused to come down. Officials on the scene Thursday told Washingtonian they were in communication with the man via a cell phone they’d managed to get to him. They said the man threatened harm anyone who tried to get him off the structure, which WAMU, WTOP, and other broadcasters use as an antenna.
“The matter is now a death investigation,” a police spokesperson tells Washingtonian.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
