Galymzhan Abaildayev, 44, climbed the structure of the north tower of the Brooklyn Bridge to a height of about 85 meters. Up there, he took off all his clothes and raised several flags, including that of Kazakhstan, his country of origin. NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers who arrived at the scene tried to convince him to come down. They were unsuccessful.
On Sunday, August 2, at around 2:30 in the afternoon, he jumped into the East River with a backpack over his head as his only improvised parachute. Dozens of people watched him fall from Manhattan. The NYPD Harbor Unit pulled him from the water alive, and he is currently stable at Bellevue Hospital.
He now faces charges including reckless endangerment, public indecency, and trespassing. No one has yet explained why he decided to do it.