another flight up, you can see the windows bang with his suction cups. and so he's continuing to be work his way up calmly. he's not made any indication that he's struggling. >> and we've been glued to the screen along with everybody on the newsroom. watching all of this as you said, we're going on almost three hours now. a lot of people asking why, why is he doing this, what is going on here. sources have told jonathan dienst he said he was steve from virginia, he says he wants donald trump to see him. so we're still trying to figure out the exact motive here. but ray's sources are telling him they don't want to go in and get him, they're hoping that he will get tired so nobody gets hurt. >> and we've been watching him

they knocked out a couple floors below where he is now. prepared a way for him to come off the glass, but he simply moved over a little bit, kept scaling the building. we don't know his ultimate ambition. he's got quite a lot of climbing left to the top. >> and he was talking with officers, he was talking with the investigators there on the scene. at one point we saw him pull his bottled water out, take a dripping. seems pretty comfortable. >> and what is also a little nerve-racking,'s putting an awful lot of faith in the way the glass is mounted in the frames. those suction cups are the only

he's create being a vacuum between the glass and the suction cup. he has strapped and harness around his bottom side as you can see and foot holds with straps. and inch by inch literally, more likely almost foot by foot making his way up the building. hand over hand on these suction cups. so if anything fails on the suction cup, could be disaster for him. >> i know we have been touching base with the former oem director. sal, are you still with us? >> still with you. >> so give us just kind of -- explain all that goes into the emergency aspect of this. we're seeing the recent crew

phones up. talk about the huge operation this is. >> it's a tremendous draw on resources. fortunately new york city has a large cadre of resources that we can deploy. so a situation like this, the amount of traffic, shutting down cross streets on 56th, 57th areas becomes very great. you wind up ambulance response. you wind up influencing fire department response. and law enforcement community, their response is to other jobs that are coming in. and locally with that at the facility itself, you have the emergency medical service on stand by in the event that

that are trying to talk to him and get him in, and then the fire department also assisting. so it's an incredible amount of resources that are being deployed that affect not only just the buildinging but the remainder of the city. >> assuming he gets down safely remainder of the city. >> assuming he gets down safely remainder of the city. >> assuming he gets down safely remainder of the city. >> assuming he gets down safely, and get >> i have faith in if the first responders on site that they will be able to bring this to a successful conclusion.if the fi responders on site that they will be able to bring this to a successful conclusion.f the fir responders on site that they will be able to bring this to a successful conclusion. the firs responders on site that they will be able to bring this to a successful conclusion. >> i guess my question is, once they get him down, assuming they do, what sort of charges might he face? >> criminal trespass would be one of the charges.

wind up being criminal trespass and then followed up by criminal mischief depending on what he did potentially. again, depending on how he entered, how he got to the building, how he brought the equipment in. there may be a charge of burglary that may be able to be attached. >> do we know if about he as krebded from the street or did he emerge from a set back inside? >> there were original witnesses reporting that they had seen him in a garden area that i'm not familiar with, but was able to make his way up to one of the setbacks and then al to start

>> there are several setbacks. i'm trying to visualize how far off the ground they are, 10 or 12 stories up before they begin. that means that he will not have scaled all of 20 stories now, but maybe half that number in three hours. let's say ten story this is three hours. so if his ambition is to scale the building, you can watch this >> if the judgment was that he was going to go to -- try to go to the roof, this could take a long while. but if the initial reports, what it appears to be that he just wants trump to see hechl, that might be something that in prime time he gets to understand that

he may come in off of that. >> thank you very much, sal. and let's go back to jonathan dienst. motive is one of the things we're trying to look at pl. >> several police sources we've spoken with now say that the information they have is thatpl >> several police sources we've spoken with now say that the information they have is that. >> several police sources we've spoken with now say that the information they have is that steve wanted to get donald trump's attention. whether steve is his real name or an alias, unclear. trump's attention and that's yes decided to climb this tower. they are also looking in to a video that has been posted on youtube by a man who bears a resemblance of the man climbing this tower and in that video, similar claims were made. i want to meet with donald trump, i have important information for him, and i'm going to climb the tower to try to get your attention.

that he has. police trying to make sure that things are safe and secure. and they're basically going to try to safely bring him in, but safely being the key operative word that the emergency service workers are operating under. >> and jonathan, while you're talking about this, chuck and i are watching. we're seeing a window has been taken out and you're seeing the rescue workers there, it looks like speaking to him as he makes his way up about four floorsup looks like they are trying to make contact with him before as you mentioned the windows maybe about five, six stories below broken out. they hoped they could pull him through. >> i think they learned the lesson on that one because the piece of glass very nearly hit him. so i think they have extracted this pane of glass and brought it into the building.

fall town. the problem is i'm not seeing anybody heading him off to the right.down. the problem is i'm not seeing anybody heading him off to the right. what he's done in the past is just evade any attempt to bring him in. so it's obvious now that the police emergency rescue units are trying to corner help, trap him so that he has no choice but c openings there. he can't go to the left, he can't go up, but he can go to the right. in. >> and he is not seeming tired. ray, we're noticing crews looking down at him. do you think they can get to him?

that window has been taken from. so they are making communication with him. what we have seen differently as chuck mentioned, instead of breaking that window up above and having glass come shattering down, this time they have taken the window out from inside. so we saw that when we were live on the air. we saw that window shaking and that's why because they were trying to get it out, trying to get the glass out to try to get to him that way. there a scaffolding unit on the south side of the building it hasn't moved up or down. on the right side of him, if you're looking to his right, there is a window shaking on that side, as well. so they are trying to corner him from both side of where he's at right now.

the 21st floor and then a window alongside him that looks like it is being shaken right now. but he's not slowed down at all. this started around 3:40 this afternoon. and do you hear that? >> what are they clearing for? >> reporter: that is people cheering on 56th. they're cheering on 56th and madison. every time that we see any movement here for example when that window came out, we saw -- we heard rather cheers from the so people are cheering as these events unfold here on 56th street because of course right now it's blocked off on both side. no traffic coming through between madison and 5th avenue. there is another window each on that 21st floor. that glass has been removed and you can see right now both windows on that floor around him directly above him are now gone. that glass has been removed from that window. so they are trying to corner him

working his way up. so there is a possibility that they might get to him that way because they blocked out and you can see they're talking amongst each other. but we are seeing a lot more movement. keep in mind he used to be around the 16th floor and now he's worked his way up and continues to work and in the past he's been moving around the building. he had been on the east and then he moved into this corner. and then there is a scaffolding on the south side. so looks like he's trying to evade whatever way police try to get to him. he tries to navigate around the corners of the building.

but there we go, we see him suctioning to the side of the building. whereas before it looked like he was working his way up that corner. now looks like he's trying to move in a sideways direction instead of moving up towards where police are. you see police are telling him aboutscaffolding on the side, pointing in that direction telling him there was someone on that side. because we see there a fo the building. one of the many ways they have tried to get to him. they have tried via scaffolding, they have broken out panels of a vent and now windows. and now on the 21st floor, they ever broken out two windows as they try to get to this man climbing up trump tower.

sideways. police tried to tell him that there is scaffolding there. so they are trying to corner him. what is going on beneath him, there is rescue inflatable directly on a terrace landing area right beneath him and then right on the ground, there is another rescue inflatable on the ground in front of the entrance on 56th the street. so they are trying to make this as safe as possible for this man and trying to get him into the building and that's what we're watching unfold this evening. >> all right. a video. leland, can we do it in a box? this youtube video appears to be the climber and it has audio. >> mr. trump, to excuse me manner of appearance, i don't know how many people will watch this that i'd rather not be recognizable. i'm an independent he researcher

matter. i guarantee that it's in your interest to honor this request. believe me, my purpose is not significant. i would not risk my life pursuing it. the reason i climbed your tower was to get your attention. if i had sought this via conventional mean, i would be much less likely to have this success. i'll give my contact information to your campaign so that if you're respond. as for anyone else who is watching, please help make this video go viral on that it get s to mr. trump and vote mr. trump in the 0 20 16 election. >> we certainly don't know if

trump's attention. he is steve from virginia. and as we saw when ray was talking to us, we saw the 21 gs floor, they have a huge window taken out there. he's basically cornered.gs floor, they have a huge window taken out there. he's basically cornered. floor, they have a huge window taken out there. he's basically cornered. as we've been seeing, he just keeps moving to the left and right. right around the corner you can see there is that window washing scaffold. they are in a position to take him into custody there. what they are trying to do is pin him in so he can't go higher, h can't go around the corner or cross to his right. this is something that has

>> in all the years you've been here, speak a little bit to that what you have seen. >> there was a period of time when the "new york times" building back around 2008, there were climbers in aer and a half weeks three people who tried to climb the building. the most famous one i remember of all frenchman back in 1974, he and his confederates got on top of the world trade center towers and they managed to string a cable between the north tower and south tower. firing an arrow with a string on it or wire on it and pull abouting a cable across and anchoring the cable. and he walked back and forth on

he did not have a message, just a performer getting a lot of table for himself. and there was a movie made called "man on a wire" about him. perhaps inspired this fellow climbinging right now. >> and you can see the crowds building. fo ray has heard the cheers. >> reporter: the crowd cheers every time there is movement. and we saw when a window was removed right on the 21st floor where police are working out of trying to get this man, we heard cheers from the corner of 56th and madison as well as 56th and 5th avenue. and that is because police have 56th street blocked off. so the corners are the only

here's what we know right now. he is below the 21st floor possibly on the 20th floor right now. working his way around the side of the building. what he will eventually run into on the south i'd is scaffolding window washing unit that has been there for the last half hour possibly. police trying to get to him that way. i have learned that they have a victim harness unit ready for him in case they get close enough to him. presence on the 21st floor and that is where you see the win toes have been knocked out of. what they did on the 21st floor is take the glass out of the window from the inside, this way when the glass came out, it didn't come crashing down on him. before on the 16th floor when they tried to get him then, they knocked the window out and it came crash down. and he worked his way around it and up. and he is now possibly away the 20th floor just julying by the

it looks like he might be on the 19th or the 20th floor. they have two rescue inflaables beneath him. there is more police on the ground. more officers on the ground and i believe that is for crowd control. they just moved a bunch of us on to the sidewalk to clear the street out and we know that they areon so we're seeing more of a police presence. and we're he seeing more of a police presence inside the building because now we're seeing more officers from the esu looking out that window trying to get to him, trying to make communication across to him. we've seen them motions toward the scaffolding unit. it's unclear if he's listening

works his way down toward the side. something fell and it's unclear what that was and we saw him reach for something in his bag. right now we can see him motions towards officers. you see his hands movings but unclear what is being said. of course they are communicating with each other. they are negotiating trying to get him into a safe spot. but they do have worst case scenarios. we know they have several hundred feet of rope ready to come down alongside the building. we know they have knocked out windows below, as well as they try to get to him. on the 21st floor i'm being told is basically a mock command post where there is a bunch of officers there, trying to get to him that way. so they have knocked out two windows on that corner.

about to run into scaffolding. as far as the buildings on 56th street, all have been closed off so no one coming in or out of those buildings because police have it all blocked off so they can ten their operation to try to get to him. the crowds of course watching with bated breath and taking pictures. and we're seeing the scaffolding guy, something going on there with the officer in the we're seeing there. but it's unclear exactly what is going on between the two. looks like he's trying to move as far as but unclear what direction he's trying to go in. if anything, he's been evaing police. so we're watching as he makes his way possibly around the corner being on the south side of the building and that might

scaffolding unit. >> it looks like he's having a conversation with the fellow in the scaffold. however, just planted another suction cup above. so he may think he's found a way up past the window. >> the question is will he try to turn the corner there. he's getting closer. he's just up above the guy. we'll have to wait and see. we're talking about the it just seems that he's not that tired. joining us on the phone is editor at large for outside magazine and a climbing expert. talk about what he's wearing, what he's using and really why he's not tired at this point. >> yeah, so it looks like he has four suction cup and he's using

always got at least two points of contacts on the wall at any one point. and you can series wearing a climbing harness that is attached to at least two of those suction cups. probably not more. and so at any point he gets tired, you can sit down into the harness and rest. and the way he's getting cup to the wall, standing up into a webbing ladder and then as he stands up, you can see that he has a little mechanical ascension device clipped right to the edge, between the suction cup and the webbing that allows him to take in that slack and will hold his weight. so using these mechanical forces

food and water are his enemies, not exhaustion. >> how safe is this equipment? how safe is what he's doing right now? >> he's actually despite it looking like he's basically taken like gps suction cups and sort of jerry-rigged to get up the wall, it looks like he's actually got four points of contact which is two more than you acty cups, but it looks like he's using four in order to have extra safety. and it look like he also has a fifth suction cup strapped to his backpack that you could use. so it seems like his personal safety i think i would be more worried about him falling as a result of some altercation with

would any of this equipment failing. in order for him to fall, all four suction cups would need to fail and it appears any one of them more than strong enough to hold his weight. and you can see also that he's taking a rest here now where he's not standing up into those rope ladders, just sitting in his harness. >> and you're watching this with us? >> yes. >> you see the police officer above just extended a line of some sort and is probably tryin what is that? >> the officers in the window if they could get him on clip a carabiner into his harness, they could hoist him up. >> all right. grayson, we thank you very much. an expert with climbing there. and we will stay tuned here as

getting very close hoping that he will hook on. he's been doing this for almost i'd say just over three hours now. we've been watching this all unfold. we have ray villeda on the ground, so as it maybe comes to a close -- let's see what ray has to say. >> reporter: natalie, clearly you can see what is going on. there is a hook that is being lowered down, but i was just talking to police sources on the ground who tell m working with them at all in any way sense or fashion. there is a harness there that they are trying to lower down to him, that is that silver hook that you see, trying to bring him back in. from what the sources are telling me, he has indicated he wants to have a conversation with donald trump and that he is pro trump and that is his whole reason for doing this is what we're being told. sources telling us that they are looking at that video on youtube

they tell us that he has not been responsive at all. perhaps that maybe changes. police are looking out that window trying to give him that hook. they also have a scaffolding unit on the side of the building on the south side of the building trying to get to him that way. but again, it does not look like he's taking that hook right now seems to be in his reach. and again we're being told he is not being responsive. he's chatted, he's indicated some things to them, but he has not been responsive as far as giving in to their efforts of surrendering. and you can see that hook is basically right in his grasp. he could reach for it and he's not doing that. they are -- he's roughly between the 20th and 1st floor.

from the corner. so they have two windows knocked out as they try to get to him. and instead of going towards that, he's working his way around the side. and that harness right -- key easily grab it, but he's continuing to climb. and it look like he's making his way closer towards the corner of the building. the scaffolding unit is stationery. we know it moved down closer to get closer to him, but police. you can see the hook is there and he's not grabbing for it. look like he will just continue this process of using that suction cup. at some point he reached for something in his backpack. but you can series using a rope of some sort, so prapgs -- but it doesn't look like he's going

us -- >> reporter: looks like they are