Two teenage boys, 16 and 17, decided Saturday night was a good time to climb the cable suspensions of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and shut down SR-16 for hours.
Washington State Patrol troopers had to figure out how to get them down from over five hundred feet above the water. In the dark. With wind gusts at the summit.
Turns out, this was not the first time teens have climbed the bridge.
Two Teens Climb the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Towers on Saturday
Washington State Patrol Trooper Kameron Watts posted the first alert at 10:07 PM, stating that all westbound lanes of SR-16 just before the Narrows Bridge were blocked and traffic was being diverted to Jackson Avenue.
Turns out that two individuals had been spotted climbing the bridge’s cable suspension system like Spiderman. Troopers were working with WSDOT to figure out how to get them down safely.
By 10:43 PM, they announced that the two were teen boys and had reached the very top of the bridge.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge towers stand 500 feet above the water, 467 feet above the base piers, with the bridge deck sitting 187.5 feet above the water below. Washington State Patrol Trooper Watts commented on the post that at that height, strong wind gusts make the climb unpredictable and dangerous. Troopers had no choice but to close the highway.
Westbound SR-16 was at a standstill for an extended period, with backed-up traffic for miles.
How Troopers Got The Two Teens Down
Troopers did not have to climb the cables because the Tacoma Narrows Bridge has a service elevator that runs up the towers. Several troopers used it to ride to the top and reach the boys directly. Both teenagers were taken into custody by 11 PM, and the road began reopening shortly after.
The entire closure lasted roughly an hour and a half from the first alert to the all clear — a surprisingly efficient resolution given that two teenagers were literally at the top of a 500-foot bridge tower in the dark.
This is a Recent Pattern in Washington State and Tacoma
The two boys are expected to face charges of criminal trespass and obstructing law enforcement. Their Saturday night adventure cost them an arrest record, a very uncomfortable conversation with their parents, and responsibility for shutting down a major freeway corridor for nearly two hours.
In October 2025, a video circulated on social media posted by the account Seattle Submissions showing different teens filming themselves climbing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and posting it online. The footage spread widely and apparently inspired more of the same behavior.
Two younger people were also seen sneaking into the old Key Tower building in Tacoma just weeks before Saturday, climbing a dilapidated ladder to the rooftop.
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