A Beaver County man who recorded himself atop the Gulf Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh returned the next day to get a hoodie he left behind, according to police.
Pittsburgh police charged Austin Gene Seik, 27, of Frankfort Springs and Mariah Lynn Barnes, 33, of Munhall on Friday with felony counts of criminal trespass.
In court filings, police said Seik is known across the city for unlawfully entering buildings and structures to create social media content.
Police responded Thursday to the 44-story Gulf Tower for a report of a man trespassing on the roof, but did not find any suspects, according to a criminal complaint. However, police said they found where it appeared Seik made a hole through a wire fence in a restricted area on the 38th floor to unlock the door and gain access to additional floors.
In the complaint, police said they found seven videos and pictures uploaded that day to Seik’s Instagram account showing him at the top of the tower. One of the videos was a selfie, giving a clear and unobstructed view of Seik’s face, police said.
Pittsburgh police responded to another trespassing report at the Gulf Tower on Friday, where they found Seik with Barnes, the complaint says.
Seik agreed to speak with officers, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, Seik confessed to entering the Gulf Tower with Barnes by circumventing the main lock on Grant Street using a paint scraper. After getting inside, they navigated through the building to reach the roof, where they went to the top of the tower.
“He also mentioned that he returned to the Gulf Tower today because he had left a hoodie on the roof,” the complaint states.
Police said Seik gave them digital evidence from a drone he operated during the incident.
Barnes also agreed to speak with police, and admitted entering the Gulf Tower on Thursday with Seik, the complaint states.
Seik and Barnes had not been arraigned as of Sunday, according to court records.