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Man surrenders after 21-plus hours atop blast furnace

Bethlehem Police were looking for this man yesterday and after 21 hours he surrendered. (Courtesy of Bethlehem Police Department Facebook.)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a man has surrendered to police after more than 21 hours atop a blast furnace that prompted an evacuation of an arts and entertainment venue at the Pennsylvania site.

The man climbed up and down a ladder atop the blast furnace at the old Bethlehem Steel Corp. furnace several times Saturday afternoon before committing to come down with police help.

An outdoor concert was scheduled at the SteelStacks campus but about 1,500 people were evacuated after the man climbed up shortly before 7 p.m. Friday, balancing precariously on a single steel beam hundreds of feet above the venue. Other events were postponed or canceled.

Police released a photo, asking for help in identifying the man. Meanwhile, officers climbed to a platform below and talked to him for hours.