Man Climbs The National Christmas Tree

Let’s cut to the chase. A man just climbed the National Christmas Tree outside of the White House, which I didn’t even know was climbable.

CHRISTMAS TREE CLIMBER VIDEO: Police and fire crews responded to the National Christmas Tree Friday night when an 'emotionally distressed' man climbed it. MORE DETAILS: https://t.co/zk9y2aEDQD pic.twitter.com/1mXhWu0sTA

— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) December 22, 2018

Video of Police activity —
Someone…
Climbing…
(or trying to climb)
The National Christmas Tree…@WUSA9
Oy vey.
Confirmed by Nat Park Police #breaking pic.twitter.com/lhWgnhb0ZV

— Mike Valerio (@MikevWUSA) December 21, 2018

Live look at the National Christmas Tree where a man has reportedly barricaded himself inside the tree. Lots of authorities on scene… pic.twitter.com/lK83g8N7eQ

— Lindsey Mastis (@LindseyMastis) December 21, 2018

Man climbs National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., and negotiators are trying to talk him down https://t.co/0D1gsnpoLx pic.twitter.com/dmf4s8qhx0

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) December 21, 2018

NEW: U.S. Park Police confirm a man has climbed the National Christmas Tree near the White House.
It’s currently closed to visitors as authorities negotiate with the man and try to get him down.https://t.co/KvHQYC9YBJ pic.twitter.com/9eQj8tIKGJ

— Heather Graf (@ABC7HeatherGraf) December 21, 2018

The good news? They got him down. He was sent to the hospital for a mental evaluation.

The wild scene started unfolding around 5:45 PM Friday night at the Ellipse, which is across the street from the White House.

After the man climbed about 15 to 20 feet up, the 74,000 LED lights covering the giant spruce were turned off, creating an eerie scene. By the time the climber started heading down, the lights were turned back on and police officers rushed inside to track him down.

Merry Christmas, DC.