Naked man accused of opening pipe that flooded San Francisco high-rise, officials say

A naked man has been arrested in the flooding of a San Francisco high-rise building after opening pipes on the 11th floor, police and media outlets reported.

The cascading water was coming from a standpipe — the equivalent of an indoor fire hydrant — and caused property damage as the flooding reached floors leading up to the water source, police said in a statement to McClatchy News.

“Water was gushing out. There was like a six-foot tall massive spray of water coming out 10 feet down out of the water main,” Emily Igler, a tenant, told KTVU.

San Francisco police were called around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11 to the 100 block of Van Ness Avenue. Firefighters were already on the scene after a fire alarm went off in the building, police said.

Police found a 46-year-old man who is a tenant in the building “drenched in water,” standing next to a standpipe, according to KGO. A standpipe is a high-pressure hose valve used by firefighters in high-rise buildings.

“Upon arrival, we were confronted with a person experiencing a behavioral crisis,” San Francisco fire Lt. Jonathan Baxter told KGO. “During the course of this flood, this individual released several standpipes throughout the 11th floor.”

The suspect was detained by police and the water was shut off, police said.

The suspect was booked into San Francisco County Jail on felony charges of vandalism, and falsely reporting a fire, police said.

This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Naked man accused of opening pipe that flooded San Francisco high-rise, officials say."