TORONTO — A woman was rescued and taken into police custody in downtown Toronto Thursday morning after she was discovered sleeping in the cab of a jib crane five storeys above a construction site.
The young woman, wearing a white T-shirt and covering her face after initially being found topless, was handcuffed and taken into a first responder’s van at 8:45 a.m.
Toronto police Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu said police received a call at 6:40 a.m. to attend to a construction site at Lake Shore Boulevard West and Bathurst Street, on the northeast corner.
“We received word a woman was sleeping in a crane on a construction site,” Sidhu said. “She awoke and was topless. It took approximately an hour for emergency task force officers, Toronto Fire and paramedics, who were all on scene to negotiate, speak with her and have her come down the crane safely.”
Sidhu said the emergency police responders are highly specialized and trained to speak to people in these situations to attempt to ensure the woman would not be a harm to herself or others around her.
“A lot of police resources and Toronto Fire resources and paramedics were on scene in the area to make sure nobody was hurt and that they had enough space in order to assist in taking her down,” she said.
Road closures were undertaken to enable a safe rescue.
“During a very busy rush hour part of the morning, they had the Gardiner, parts of the Lake Shore and surrounding area closed so that emergency personnel could be in the area and create a safe space in order for them to work to have her taken out of the crane safely,” she said.
It was not known whether the woman had advanced onto the boom of the crane. The boom hangs over the Gardiner Expressway.
It had not yet been determined whether charges would be laid.
“She is in police custody, she has been apprehended by Toronto police and they are going to assess the situation they have on hand. She will be checked out by Toronto paramedics and taken to hospital. If charges can be laid they will be laid accordingly,” said Sidhu.
It was the second rescue incident involving a woman climbing a crane in Toronto in 16 months. George Brown College student Marisa Lazo, then 23, jumped a fence and climbed up a crane in the middle of the night on April 26, 2017 after a night of drinking. Lazo pleaded guilty to two charges but was given an absolute discharge.
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