A man was seen walking in front of the United Nations building in Manhattan Thursday with a gun held to his head.
Law enforcement said the man, who remains unidentified, paced back and forth on First Avenue and was believed to be suicidal, New York Post reported. Several eyewitnesses showed the man wearing a red jacket and holding a firearm underneath his chin.
Authorities blocked off roads near the U.N. building, forcing the complex into lockdown. (RELATED: UN Climate Conference Sponsor Unilever Is Among World’s Biggest Plastics Polluters: REPORT)
#BREAKING man armed with rifle in standoff with NYPD in front of the United Nations right now. Images from @CitizenApp appear to show the suspect pacing near the front entrance. @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/L1yOI8NWL8
— Anthony DiLorenzo (@ADiLorenzoTV) December 2, 2021
Man with a gun in front of the UN #BREAKING #NYC #NYPD #UnitedNations #HappeningNow #UN pic.twitter.com/IMj1Bw7Hdb
— Fahad Aldoseri (@FahadDhimself) December 2, 2021
#BREAKING Man with shotgun is pacing in front of the UN Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. Gun pointed at himself. Police have him surrounded with bomb squad and bearcat. UNITED NATIONS #HappeningNow #nyc
Video by https://t.co/MKhP0Go9IL pic.twitter.com/3tPEMiRJHO
— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) December 2, 2021
The standoff began at around 11 a.m. At approximately 12:30 p.m., SWAT and “Emergency Rescue” vehicles surrounded the man.