The Russian tourist who sparked a huge police response when he calmly climbed to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge in August pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Thursday and said he was surprised his stunt drew so much attention.
“I didn’t know that it would make a reaction like that,” Yaroslav Kolchin, 24, said outside Brooklyn criminal court.
“In Russia it is normal. In Moscow police don’t touch people who climb on bridge.”
Kolchin was sentenced to 90 hours community service, which he has already completed, and he got his passport back so he can return home.
He also handed over checks totaling $1,500 to reimburse the city for part of the costs associated with his high-wire caper.
“I just wanted to take a picture,” Kolchin said, describing his decision to scale the suspension wires to the top of the iconic bridge on August 24.
“It doesn’t seem to be that high when you’re downstairs [but at the top] it was beautiful. It was the best part of the bridge,” Kolchin said, adding that he would advise other tourists not to follow his lead.
“I do not recommend other people repeat me.”