Trump Tower Climber Pleads Guilty, Avoids Jail Time For Ill-Fated 'Spidey-Like' Ascent

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A man is facing punishment for Spidey-like nonsense that led him on a misguided effort to arrange a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump last summer.

Stephen Rogata, who captivated New Yorkers and cable news audiences around the country in August by attempting to scale Trump Tower using suctions cups, will avoid jail time after pleading guilty to two charges Monday.

Rogata, who was arrested after his daring stunt, pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District attorney's office told Patch. The shaggy-haired young man's plea deal does not immediately include any time in jail, but instead a year of mental health treatment in his native Virginia, according to the spokeswoman.

Rogata has also been ordered to stay away from Trump and Trump Tower for one year, enroll in college or work 20 hours a week and avoid being arrested. If those terms are met for one year, Rogata's reckless endangerment charge will be dropped, according to the DA's office.

If Rogata fails to meet those conditions for one year, he could face a maximum one year in jail, according to the DA's office.

Rogata was originally charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal trespassing, police told Patch in August. The reckless endangerment charge is a felony. If Rogata was found guilty, he could have spent up to seven years in prison.

Rogata used a sophisticated rig of suction cups to climb Trump Tower for around three hours. Rogata made it to the building's 20th floor before NYPD officers snagged the climber through a window they had cut open. During his ascent, Rogata had managed to avoid NYPD officers lying in wait in various building windows and even officers who lowered down in a window-washing bucket.

Rogata uploaded a video to YouTube a day before his climb explaining why he decided to scale Trump Tower. In the odd one-minute video, titled "Message to Mr. Trump (why I climbed Trump Tower)," said he was trying to set up a face-to-face meeting with Trump.

Photo by Davis Staedtler via Flickr/Creative Commons