North Carolina man who scaled energized electrical tower causes widespread power outage

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A North Carolina man who climbed nearly 90 feet up an energized electrical tower on Sunday caused power outages in the area during his rescue, authorities said.

Officers responded to the 1300 block of Nations Crossing Road in Charlotte after receiving reports of a man who scaled a large high-tension electrical tower and began a four-hour-long effort to get the man down, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a news release.

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"That tower was energized with six lines, each carrying about 115,000 volts," Maj. Brian Foley told FOX46 Charlotte. "I don’t know what your faith is, but I think God was watching over him today."

Widespread outages were reported Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday after authorities requested that power to an energized electrical tower, like the ones pictured above, be rerouted in order to rescue a man who scaled 90 feet up the tower. (iStock)

In order to rescue the man safely, police said they contacted Duke Energy to redirect the high-voltage power from the tower, creating limited power outages for businesses and residents in the area.

While Duke Energy was able to reroute power through other stations to return, the station reported that there were still widespread outages during the interim.

"This is about saving someone’s life," Foley told the station. "I know some people were upset about their power being cut off, but truly this is about trying to protect an individual and keep them from dying."

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While officers were trying to talk the man down, police said bystanders complicated the effort.

Police said a resident who flew a drone close to the man and the tower was put under investigation for interfering with police and life-saving rescue operations.

Officers spoke with the man for four hours before he climbed down from the tower without injury and was taken to a hospital for treatment. The man was not identified due to his mental and physical condition, police said without elaborating.