Morning commuters in Melbourne, Australia got quite a surprise Tuesday when a man climbed to the top of a 460-foot tower on a major cantilever bridge and painted a massive cartoon bird on it — then refused to budge unless police brought him a peanut butter sandwich via drone.
The incident took place on the Bolte Bridge, where the man scaled the 140-metre eastern tower and settled in, shutting down one lane of traffic and triggering a standoff with law enforcement.
Acting Sergeant Paul Hogan of Victoria Police confirmed the situation, saying, “A man has scaled the bridge and remains in a restricted area on the eastern tower. He is refusing to follow police direction and come down.”
Hogan added, “Police allege the man is responsible for graffitiing the bridge earlier this morning.”
The artwork painted on the bridge bears a strong resemblance to a character known as Pam the Bird — a graffiti symbol that has popped up on numerous buildings throughout Melbourne over the years, including on the heritage-listed Flinders Street railway station.
An Instagram account appeared to be streaming live from the scene, showing footage of a man sitting at the top of the tower with his legs hanging over the edge.
In follow-up posts, the man also called for lower taxes in Australia, in addition to his unusual demand for the drone-delivered sandwich.
The identity of the person behind Tuesday’s stunt was not confirmed. However, a separate individual faced court last year on more than 200 charges, many of them tied to previous incidents involving Pam the Bird graffiti.
