A man who scaled 20 storeys up the side of Trump Tower in New York has been pulled inside to safety by police.
'Steve' is captured by New York police (Reuters)
Only known as 'Steve', the man began his ascent around 8am (NZ time; 4pm NY time).
He used suction cups to scale the glass exterior of the 68-storey building, which bears the name of Donald Trump - the Republican candidate for President, and houses his campaign headquarters.
Police and fire officers removed glass panels above him, blocking his path up, and scaffolding normally used for window-washing was used to prevent him going sideways.
Steve tried to bypass the police on a narrow panel on the corner of the tower, but was grabbed and pulled inside, against his will, by NYPD officers.
(Reuters)
At one point he was nearly hit by a falling pane of glass, but barely flinched.
Before being apprehended, ABC News reported the man was "talking up a storm", but it's still not clear why he did it.
Michael Cohen, executive vice-president of the Trump Organization, called Steve's climb a "ridiculous and dangerous stunt".
"There's damage to the building and he caused the unnecessary deployment of New York's finest to protect his safety and the safety of everyone in the building," he said in a statement.
"I'm 100 percent certain the NYPD had better things to do. If Mr Trump were here he'd be thanking law enforcement for the job they're doing."
Trump himself is not in New York, on the campaign trail in Virginia.
Pedestrians gather to watch the man (Reuters)
Eyewitnesses who saw him before he started climbing told the network he seemed nervous beforehand, and appeared to panic when he realised his suspicious behaviour had been spotted.
It's not known if Steve's actions were a protest against Trump, who on Wednesday was accused of calling on his supporters to kill his rival, Hillary Clinton. ABC News reported he was carrying leaflets, and the climb might all be a promotional stunt.
A mattress had been put in place beneath the man, but fortunately was not required.
The man is surrounded by police (Reuters)
Traffic in the area was brought to a standstill.
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