A 22-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly scaling one of Melbourne’s iconic Bolte Bridge towers, spray-painting the notorious “Pam the Bird” symbol and triggering a dramatic seven-hour police standoff that unfolded in full view of commuters and on social media.
Sequence of Events
The incident began at about 3 a.m. Tuesday, when Victoria Police received reports of a suspicious person inside one of the Bolte Bridge towers.
Responding officers discovered the man had climbed the bridge’s 140-metre-tall concrete tower and was abseiling down the structure. Police allege he spray-painted the well-known “Pam the Bird” graffiti along with expletives in green paint before climbing back to the top of the tower.
Shortly before 4:30 a.m., the man began posting a series of videos and photos to Instagram from the top of the bridge, documenting the stunt as police gathered below.
One video showed him dangling his legs over the edge of the tower while another displayed the message: “Support the cause.”
In another post, he taunted police by writing: “Lower the taxes and drone me some f*** food! Let’s go boys and girls!”** He later added: “Wouldn’t mind a blankey it’s kinda cold.”
Additional videos showed him sitting on the edge of the pylon, dancing, swinging his feet hundreds of metres above the ground to the song Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows, raising his middle finger toward emergency services, and posting selfies while wearing a dark face covering.
His Instagram profile reportedly carried the slogan “#notcomingdown”, while another caption read: “Patiently waiting for my PB and J sandwich.”
As negotiations continued, the man repeatedly refused police requests to descend. In one video, he declared: “I’m not coming down until they lower the taxes.” Another post claimed he intended to come down peacefully around midday.
By 8 a.m., witnesses reported seeing the man moving around the top of one of the bridge’s giant pylons as specialist officers continued negotiations.
The prolonged incident forced authorities to close lanes on the busy Bolte Bridge and deploy significant resources, including general duties officers, Highway Patrol, the Critical Incident Response Team, Search and Rescue personnel and Water Police.
At about 11 a.m., after nearly seven hours atop the bridge, the man climbed down and was arrested without incident.
Victoria Police confirmed the suspect is a 22-year-old man from Yarraville, who will be interviewed by investigators over the alleged graffiti vandalism and other possible offences.
Authorities said their priority throughout the operation was to bring the man down safely while protecting motorists, emergency responders and the public.
The alleged graffiti has drawn renewed attention because of its resemblance to the infamous “Pam the Bird” tag, which has appeared across Melbourne in recent years. The incident also comes as the alleged creator of the symbol faces hundreds of graffiti-related charges in separate court proceedings.
Investigations into Tuesday’s incident are continuing.
