THREE ARRESTED FOR CLIMBING NASHVILLE AT&T BUILDING
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — The AT&T building, fondly referred to by locals as the “Batman Building,” was built in 1994 and is located in downtown Nashville. It is the tallest building in the city.
It’s also the tallest building in the entire State of Tennessee.
In fact, 333 Commerce’s exact height is 617 feet tall with 33 floors. You’d need more than 15 school buses stacked lengthwise on top of each other before you’d reach the top.
According to Metro Police, the trio allegedly went through an “unsecured door” which put them on the roof. Equipped with their cameras and GoPro, the men were seen by a citizen, and soon MNPD, posing in heart-stopping positions.
Another man was lying down on the circular AT&T logo.
After seeing the harrowing stunts through binoculars, Metro Police headed toward the roof of the building around 4:40 p.m., but by the time they got there, no one was found. Even the police helicopter caught no sight of the trio.
This started the search of every one of the building’s 33 floors.
Thankfully, the sweep only lasted until floor 24 when an officer entered the men’s restroom to find the three men clambered in a stall together. All three men were taken into custody without any resistance around 6:30 p.m.
Jacob Thomas Cieszynski, 26, of Chicago, Chase Cooper Lester, 26, of Culloden, Georgia, and Ryan James McGarrity, 20, of Laguna Woods, California have been charged with aggravated trespassing and disorderly conduct. Lester, who allegedly owned a backpack that also contained burglary tools, including a crowbar and a screwdriver, was given an additional charge for the possession of these instruments.
Authorities also took away their cameras, even the GoPro.
Once in custody, one of the suspects told an officer the reason why they performed this stunt was simply because they heard that the AT&T building “was the best place to get a view of Nashville.”