According to WKMG, ‘Alex’ was first spotted by WKMG traffic reporter Steve Montiero, who saw a man wearing baggy gym clothes climb over a barbed wire fence before making his climb up the station’s transmission tower. Stopping at the tower’s midway point, he eventually ascended all the way to its peak.

Staying perched in the tower for over eight hours, “Alex” remained still and silent while police attempted to negotiate with him. Members of the Orlando Police Department were on the scene to conduct negotiations, and they could be heard calling up to him in both Spanish and English to come down via a megaphone. Officers took to calling him “Alex” after an item in the backpack that he apparently carried to the tower with him.

Montiero told WKMG that police negotiators told “Alex,” “We’re here just to help you.”

As time passed, officers eventually shut down the station’s adjacent parking lot on John Young Parkway, OPD spokesman David Baker told the Orlando Sentinel. According to WKMG, they also shut down the access into and out of the station.

Meanwhile, WKMG refused to broadcast footage of “Alex,” citing a fear of clashing with police operations and concerns about Alex’s mental health history.

“While other news outlets may choose to show live images of the tower,” a statement from the station read, “this is why News 6 will not.”

At roughly 3:00 p.m., two firefighters tried climbing the tower to coax “Alex” down, but he climbed higher into the structure, and the firefighters backed down and off of the tower.

At 3:45, “Alex” chose to begin to make his descent, only reaching the ground at roughly 7:30 p.m. local time. He was then escorted to a waiting ambulance.

Jeff Hoffman, WKMG-TV’s general manager and vice president, released a statement to the press that said in part, “the safety of our community, our employees and this gentleman are of paramount concern to us at WKMG.”

“We are thankful for the Orlando Police Department and Orlando Fire Department’s prompt response,” Hoffman added.

No known reason for “Alex’s” climb have been released, though WKMG has stated that he has a history of mental illness. Police confirm that they were in communication with “Alex’s” family throughout the ordeal. The station also provided numbers for crisis hotline numbers.