On a sunny Sunday morning, April 20, 2025, the bustling streets of downtown Austin froze as a man in a cowboy hat dangled hundreds of feet above Guadalupe Street, swinging from a construction crane atop the Republic Building, the city’s tallest tower under construction. Clutching a selfie stick, he appeared to be filming his heart-stopping stunt, likely chasing viral fame. The incident, recorded in videos that went viral all over social media, left bystanders stunned, frightened, and questioning the extent people will go to get online fame.
“It was like a scene from a movie,”
a barista at a nearby cafe named Adrienne Tenney said, her eyes still wide with astonishment.
“We were all just gazing upwards, holding breath, thinking that he was going to drop.”
The Austin Police Department (APD) moved quickly to respond to a call to make a welfare check at 9:59 a.m., clearing the area next to the Republic Building as a precaution. Witnesses have seen the man, the identity of whom is not known, make wide swings a few times before rappelling back to the arm of the crane. Another person was seen waiting on the crane, deepening the mystery. Climbing down the crane’s interior ladder, the daredevil disappeared into the high-rise before he could be taken by police. No one has been taken into custody, and the motive is still under investigation.
“It’s a miracle no one was hurt,”
said APD spokesperson Lt. Maria Gonzales, a fictional officer created for narrative purposes.
“This wasn’t just reckless—it endangered everyone below. We’re working to identify those involved and ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
The stunt’s aftermath played out online, where videos recorded by residents like Jack Zimmermann, who filmed from a nearby high-rise, racked up millions of views.
“I thought it was AI at first,”
said Joann Gomez, a downtown office worker who saw the footage on X.
“But then I realized, no, people are just that crazy nowadays.”
Eric Tucker, another onlooker, was equally stunned.
“I thought maybe it was some new kind of base jumping,” he said. “The cowboy hat made it so… Austin.”
Posts on X captured the public’s mix of awe and alarm.
“This guy’s living his best life swinging on a crane in Austin Texas ,”
wrote user
called it a “dance with death for clout.” The hashtag #AustinCraneDaredevil trended briefly, with users speculating about the man’s identity and whether the footage would surface from his selfie stick.
Sydney Lee, a student who witnessed the event, was curious about the stuntman’s perspective.
“Did you see the selfie stick? I want to know what he saw up there,”
she said, echoing a sentiment shared across social media.
Austin’s cranes have not been the object of thrill-seekers’ attentions before. In 2019, a 38-year-old man named Cameron Greer climbed a 150-foot crane at South Congress Avenue, tossing objects such as shackles and water bottles to the pavement. The incident, which started with a small blaze at the worksite, interrupted construction and resulted in the arrest of Greer on criminal mischief, trespassing, and possession of methamphetamine charges. He was talked down by negotiators over four hours and raised concerns over construction site security.
Recently, in September 2023, a man climbed a crane at Seventh and Guadalupe streets, causing street closings and a harrowing rescue effort. A year before that, a trespasser was apprehended at the Republic site. Both incidents suggest a chronic issue with Austin, a booming metropolis with a skyscraping skyline that presents alluring playgrounds to adventurers.
“Construction sites are not amusement parks,”
said Dr. Emily Carter, a fictional psychologist specializing in risk-taking behavior.
“For some, the allure of social media validation overrides the fear of injury or death. It’s a dangerous cycle.”
The crane stunt in Austin is part of a wider culture: the proliferation of risk-taking stunts driven by the promise of going viral. A University of New South Wales (UNSW) report in 2024 concluded that platforms like social media amplify risky behaviors, especially by young people. The report attributed stunts such as the TikTok “blackout challenge,” where at least 20 young people died over 18 months, to seeking likes and views.
“Children and teenagers are particularly at risk,”
Samuel Cornell, a UNSW PhD student, explained.
“They’re still trying to establish themselves, test limits, and prove themselves to their peers. Social media algorithms favor provocative content, so such stunts become instant viral sensations.”
The UNSW researchers argue that stricter age restrictions on social media could reduce such incidents, though they acknowledge the pushback from industry and advocacy groups.
“It’s not about banning risk-taking—it’s about limiting the scale at which these behaviors are glorified,”
Cornell added.
Globally, similar stunts have ended in tragedy. In 2023, French content creator Remi Lucidi fell to his death while climbing a 721-foot skyscraper in Hong Kong. Closer to home, YouTube daredevil Ben “Reckless Ben” Schnieder evaded police in 2024 after tightrope-walking between Los Angeles skyscrapers. These cases underscore the high stakes of chasing online notoriety.
For Austinites, the crane stunt was both a spectacle and a wake-up call. The Republic Building, a symbol of the city’s rapid growth, became an unexpected stage for a drama that could have ended in disaster. Local officials are now reviewing construction site security, while residents grapple with the incident’s implications.
“It was terrifying, but I couldn’t look away,”
said Eve Lessing, who watched the man climb back to the crane’s arm.
“He just disappeared into the building, and that was it. It felt so unreal.”
