Man arrested after hourslong Melbourne bridge tower standoff and graffiti scare

A 22-year-old man spent hours on the Bolte Bridge’s 140-metre tower before climbing down and being arrested after allegedly forcing his way into the eastern pylon and spraying the Pam the Bird symbol on the structure. The standoff turned one of Melbourne’s busiest road links into a choke point during the morning commute, with one southbound lane closed and thousands of drivers delayed.

A security alarm went off around 2:30am when someone accessed a restricted area in Docklands and entered the bridge tower. The man, identified as Jack Gibson-Burrell, allegedly climbed up through an existing ladder system inside the pylon before painting the graffiti tag along with offensive words. He remained on the tower for hours before voluntarily climbing down at about 11am.

The bridge closure hit traffic across the network that connects the Tullamarine Freeway, CityLink and the West Gate Freeway. The scene delayed thousands of drivers during the morning peak, as officers worked to end the stand-off without anyone being injured. Gibson-Burrell was later taken into custody and charged with 13 offences, including burglary, criminal damage, conduct endangering life, graffiti-related offences and committing an indictable offence while on bail.

He faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court by video link later that evening, and the matter was adjourned until September 29. No bail application was made. The symbol has been seen on landmarks including Flinders Street railway station and the Clifton Hill Shot Tower. Police have previously linked the campaign to dangerous abseiling stunts, and an Instagram account posted footage during the stand-off and demanded lower taxes and a peanut butter sandwich delivered by drone before the man would come down.