Officials: We Had No Idea a Man Climbed City Hall

ICYMI, a man free climbed to the top of City Hall – and apparently no one in the city noticed.

That man, an extreme travel blogger named Carson King, posted a video of the ascent to his Youtube page yesterday. 

“I climbed the famous Philadelphia city hall clock tower while it was under construction,” King wrote in the video’s description. “I believe that this is the only video you will ever see of someone doing this and I went up by myself.”

City Hall is the tallest municipal building in the country. The idea that a man could just casually climb to the top, pay William Penn a visit and go completely unnoticed is really, truly quite something.

In a statement, city spokesperson Mike Dunn said officials are “extremely concerned by this video.”

“What this person did was dangerous and illegal,” Dunn said in the statement. “The scaffolding is now down, but Philadelphians should be aware of the extreme risk they pose to their personal safety if they engage in activity like this.”

King, who says he doesn’t vandalize or damage any places he visits, has documented his travels all over the world, in places like massive abandoned churches and the stadium from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

In response to the city’s statement, King told CBS3 that “the video isn’t meant to encourage other people to do the same, as the officials said.”

“We know what we are doing and we know the risks,” King told the news outlet, referring to himself and other extreme travelers. “You could even call us professionals. I strongly suggest a normal citizen doesn’t try this.”

We strongly suggest the same.

Follow @ClaireSasko on Twitter.