New Jersey Man Arrested After Climbing 160-Foot Amusement Ride As Protest To Police

A New Jersey man took his protest to greater heights by climbing to the top of an amusement ride at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights early Monday (June 22).

The man, later identified as 45-year-old Christopher Angulo, climbed the 160-foot tall Skyscraper Tower ride just after sunrise and planted an American flag as part of what he called a protest against local authorities for their “unfair charges" against him.

“Nobody even knows I'm up here yet,” said Angulo in a video sent to News 12 New Jersey.

Police were notified about Angulo's antics around 6:00 a.m. and responded to the area. Seaside Heights police spokesman Detective Steve Korman told USA Today that they made “several contacts” with Angulo while he was atop the harrowing amusement ride.

Korman said Angulo, a resident of Lavallette, New Jersey, would come down provided that an attorney would help him with charges connected to a recent arrest, as well as “ongoing personal family matters.”

“After I talked some sanity into his head – he's not a stupid kid, he's a pretty bright kid, he's not stupid – after I talked to him, he said he'll come down,” Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd told the Asbury Park Press.

“He's had some problems in the past. We don't want the kid to get hurt. He brought a flag up there, which is patriotic. That's nice. But we're worried about his safety,” Boyd added.

News 12 New Jersey said Angulo was on top of the ride for four hours before police were able to convince him into coming down. While on top, Angulo even live-streamed whales in the ocean.

Angulo was escorted away from the boardwalk shortly after 10:00 a.m., said the Garden State Observer. He was taken into custody and charged with defiant trespass.

Angulo was then taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for evaluation after he was processed at the Seaside Heights police station, according to Korman.

His daredevil antics first gained recognition in 2013 when he climbed atop the Jet Star roller coaster in Seaside Heights when the ride was partially submerged in the Atlantic Ocean after Superstorm Sandy. Angulo also planted an American flag and was shortly arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

Last year, Angulo attempted to carve a giant peace sign into a giant ice disk on the Maine river. He later told the Portland Press Herald he wanted to study the disk and “get his master's degree in ice disks.