A lone demonstrator who climbed atop an arch of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington to protest war and artificial intelligence — and stayed there for six days, captivating onlookers in the nation’s capital — has come down, authorities said on Wednesday.
The man, Guido Reichstadter, 45, first mounted the arch on May 1 as protesters rallied elsewhere in the city for anti-billionaire demonstrations. After finishing his climb, Mr. Reichstadter pitched a tent and unfolded a black banner that he has described as a symbol of mourning for civilians killed in the U.S.-Israel war in Iran.
Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman with the city’s fire department, said Wednesday that firefighters had worked with local police to safely remove Mr. Reichstadter from the bridge.
From there, Mr. Reichstadter was transported to a hospital for observation, Mr. Maggiolo said, though there was no indication Mr. Reichstadter had any serious medical issues after descending.
The Metropolitan Police did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday. Neither did Mr. Reichstadter.
In an interview with The Times on Tuesday from his perch over the Anacostia River, Mr. Reichstadter, a former jeweler and the father of two, said he had initially planned to hold his place atop the arch only through the weekend. On Sunday, he signaled on social media that he would come down shortly.
But he reversed course soon after, and even after running out of food and water, he chose to remain atop the southeastern shore arch, one of three arches that make up the 1,600-foot bridge that opened in 2021.
On Tuesday, Mr. Reichstadter said he was expecting rain the following day, an indication it might be time to dismount. Later that evening, he posted on social media that he planned to leave in the morning.
“My water ran out Sunday & I’m heading down in the morning,” Mr. Reichstadter wrote. “I’ll probably be going to jail for a while when I get down.”
This time, he stayed true to his word.
The rain had already started to fall in Washington on Wednesday morning when Mr. Reichstadter left the bridge. Video posted to social media shows him descending from the arch via an internal passageway and meeting law enforcement waiting in a bucket lift further down.
JoAnna Daemmrich contributed reporting.
Chris Hippensteel is a reporter covering breaking news and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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