A pro-life protestor shocked the Super Bowl crowd in Phoenix on Tuesday, free climbing a 40-story building in a dangerous stunt.
Maison DesChamps is in police custody after scaling the south side of the building sans ropes or safety equipment. He live-streamed the climb on his Instagram account under the handle “prolife.spiderman,” saying he was attempting to raise awareness and money for anti-abortion causes.
The building, formerly known as the Chase Tower, is the tallest building in the city, though it went into foreclosure in 2018 and is vacant, according to 12News. It is located in downtown Phoenix, approximately 15 miles from State Farm Stadium, site of Sunday’s Super Bowl 2023.
DesChamps’ climb began just before 10 a.m. MST and finished approximately an hour later. Authorities apprehended him as he reached the top of the building. The Phoenix Fire Department told ABC15 he had “stated he was a professional climber and his intention was to make it to the top of the building.”
“This is not the place or the time to do this,” PFD captain Todd Keller told 12News. “This is extremely dangerous.”
Read more about 'Pro-Life Spider-Man' Maison Des Champs' stunts
- Maison Des Champs — the daredevil activist who calls himself the “Pro-Life Spider-Man” — scaled the New York Times building in Manhattan on May 5, 2022. The climber hung one banner that read “ABORTION KILLS MORE THAN 911 EVERY WEEK!” and another that depicted an image of a fetus.
- Des Champs climbed the 50-floor Devon Tower in Oklahoma City on June 14, 2022. The activist was arrested as soon as he got to the top of the skyscraper.
- Ahead of Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix, Des Champs was arrested for ascending a 40-story building in the city’s downtown on Feb. 7, 2023. The stunt took place just 15 miles from State Farm Stadium. He claimed to be raising awareness and money for anti-abortion causes.
- Des Champs was arrested yet again for climbing Chicago’s 600-foot Accenture Tower on Oct. 11, 2023. The building notably houses the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest.
- The pro-life demonstrator climbed on top of the Las Vegas Sphere on Feb. 7, 2024 — just days before Super Bowl LVIII. Des Champs claimed to be raising money for a homeless pregnant woman named Isabel. He was taken into police custody after being told to “go through the top” to get down from the Sphere.
It is not yet known what charges DesChamps is facing.
The 22-year-old has used his climbing prowess for attention before, ascending the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas to protest COVID-19 restrictions. In 2022, he climbed the Salesforce building in San Francisco and hung banners on the New York Times building.
DesChamps’ latest climb was sure to get some attention, with Super Bowl 2023 set to take place at State Farm Stadium on Sunday. Thousands of visitors have, and will continue to, descend upon the city ahead of the showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, with countless news outlets in town to cover the game and its surrounding festivities.
