God bless him. Work men do this all the time on construction sites. I heard he used all the proper equipment to climb and repel down. This being he is familiar in rock climbing. He may have risked being hurt but the American Flag was more important to him and should be to everyone else. Stop the nonsense and respect the man for doing what he thought was gonna be a nice gesture for everyone at such a terrible sad time. Their just looking to get another fine $$$$ out of someone. This time he's paying for RAISING THE AMERICAN FLAG.

Leave this guy alone we have more problems to solve without wasting our time on a true PATRIOT

Poor guy! They should be worrying about the people on the island who are subject to theft. Not some petty stuff.

Seems like anytime someone tries to hang our flag, they get arrested. The man was safe, didn't ask for help down..wasn't putting anyone else in danger except himself and they still have to make a big deal about it. You all need to give it a rest!

It was only a matter of time before this was to happen. At least he is an experienced climber who had equipment and not some kid who decided to try and fell. All the more reason to start the process of dismantling the Jet Star before the others try.

The psychiatric ward? LOL! NOW HE PROBABLY GOT PERMANENT DISABILITY THAT'S GREAT!

hey guys out there I dont know who this man is but lets keep this story going so we can have true American Justice in the courtroom today thanks guys

Give him a reward not a fine

they sent this guy to psychiatric ward they ought to find him a job painting the George Washington Bridge

GOV CHRISTIE CALL THIS COURT NOW AND TALK SOME SENSE TO THE LAWMAKERS AND HAVE HIM TREATED AS A PATRIOT RATHER THAN A CRIMINAL WHICH HE IS NOT. IF YOU CAN READ THIS GOV DO IT NOW.

This is all about power, nothing else. Putting him in a nut bin was the height of police arrogance, trying to justify their authority.

Leave him alone!!! and go after THE REAL CRIMINALS!!!!!

Typical how the cops find someone who's NOT bothering ANYBODY else, then terrorize the man before finally arresting said man. then where else u find them? sitting in their car making sure no one can go out on the beach! Really? more proof in your face how the system is corrupt and broken.
Good Luck in court today, Chris.

I imagine if he fell off and got hurt or killed him and his entire family would be suing tbe town county state mother nature and the flag manufacturer for "making" him do it.... just a thought ... doing something like that just to fly a flag ... makes no sense to me... he deserves no support... throw the book at him ... think of the first responders that would've had to get him if he fell or the roller coaster failed risking their lives like that seems ridiculous to me.... hang the flag at your house it's much safer..

Ed, that's a lot of supposition just to prove a manufactured position, he didn't fall, he was aware of safety procedures and he was expressing himself which is protected by the 1st amendment. He could have been struck by a bolt of lightening.....you missed that!

THIS GUY IS A PROFESSIONAL CLIMBER SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT HEIS A PATRIOT NOT A CRIMINAL

Don't know about you but I feel safer...PD heroes!

I hope that they leave him alone or if he gets fined that some benefactor comes forward and pay the fine for him. Why don't they go after the REAL criminals instead???? LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!!!!!!!

I guess he will be fined for not paying at the ticket booth before he got on the ride.

OH NO-- He probably did not have a beach badge :-)

Taxpayer money that's all I can say... they are wasting taxpayer money to prosecute him....

New Jersey has turned into such a police state! I can just see it now, our politicians and police would have sent the guys who raised the flag at Iwo Jima to the wacky ward as well. We all know that cash strapped Seaside Heights will fine this guy to the hilt, they need the cash ya know. Did anyone alert the TV stations in NY and Philly about the court date? I can just see them making monsters out of the cops and politicians if they don't handle this just right and knowing Seaside, it won't be handled right, well except if your a Jersey Shore cast member.

So if they said he needed mental help...why take him to court? The man who stabbed the mother in Middletown has yet to make the news on a court appearance. He was suppose to appear middle of February on Animal Cruelty charges. But that does not get an appearance before a judge but this does. Big waste of tax dollars, let the All American Flag raiser go home already.

If they want to put someone in the nutter house, how about the person who suggest my flood insurance increase from $721 to $31,000/year.

I'll gladly put my tax dollars towards that person getting the help they need.

Even after his stunt, Seaside Heights was actually contemplating leaving the Jet Star in the water as a tourist attraction. Did they think that no one else would ever pull this kind of stunt? They finally came to their senses on that, so they should let this kid go.

Hmmm, committing people to a psych hospital for doing something deemed "dangerous". Where'd we hear about that sort of thing before? Gulag anyone? This sets a very dangerous precedent.

I was on his side until I watched NJ News this afternoon. He fancies himself a hero. He made a surfer`s hand gesture to the Camera.(The Guy is 38 years old!) This will come back to bite him on the Ass!

SO YOU WANT TO PUT HIM IN JAIL BECAUSE OF HIS HAND MOVEMENTS WE KNOW HE IS A LITTLE WEIRED WE HAVE PLENTY OF THEMM WALKING THE STREETS SO WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THEM. HE WAS SIGNALING HIS BUDDEYS.

Many of us would have made a plain old American hand gesture if we were in his shoes.

I agree with Ed this wacko was just trying to make a name for himself at the expense of others tragedies! Looking for attention. Oh gee let me climb that thing put a flag up...how American!....Idiot ...lock him up for disrespecting the flag and violating the rules of of the flag!...learn about your countries flag people its no place for it wake up!

Why waste time on this.et him put the flag there and be done with it. if he fell and died who cares, if there is a flag there..who cares.

No one has taken it down as of late January I might add.

I personally think the flag on top of that coaster is so symbolic and gives it more character. Such an awesome picture. The guy does NOT deserve any kind of punishment. The courts need to move on to bigger and better issues and concerns. This is trivial nonsense

Really? Honestly tell me what law he broke by climbing safely to the top of a pile of junk sitting in the PUBLIC ocean. Dont the signs usually say No Lifeguard on duty, swim at your own risk? I always thought the risk was of drowning not being arrested by some board cops and getting injected into a clueless legal system.

What a waste of taxpayer money, leave the guy alone before there are large protest groups climbing the thing.

KEEP THIS GOING PENELOPE YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB. YES HE DID A SILLY THING BUT HE DOESN'T DESERVE ALL OF THIS.

Trivial for sure, Very Patriotic of him.........seriously, they sent him to mental ward? I agree, the flag looks awsum on that wreck of a coaster. What they doing about removing it? This is nuts, leave him alone.

I love what he did.... give me a break,,, you would think the police had some hardened criminal cornered.... police in Camden or New York City probably laugh about things like this,,, they have real crime to worry about.... forget about.... go arrest Snookie....

He was in more danger when he got into the boat and the cops pounced on him. Or when the idiots decided to off load him in the surf. I want to know where that flag is going when they take the coaster down.

Given that the Seaside police have been and always will be an off shoot of the Hitler youth. Gone are the days of coaxing someone down, giving them a blanket and a hot cup of coffee, a slap on the wrist, and tell them to go home.

TOTAL BULLSHIT,LET THE GUY GO

Everyone is making assumptions without having all the facts. I'm not here to pass judgement, just to provide the truth. The coaster climber had video cameras with him and contacted the radio station, so it is fair to say he wanted more attention then just placing the flag. He also absolutely needed to be rescued - the boat he brought to the ride was not tied off properly and broke free of the ride and floated away. The police asked him to come down so they would not have to call for boats and helicopter water rescue - he refused. When the police finally tired of waiting to rescue him, he came down the stairs and ran back up multiple times before the police pulled him into the boat. The act of placing the flag, while dangerous, was admirable. It was how he then conducted himself afterwards that out him in the predicament he was in. I don't understand some people's logic, even if the police knew he was an experienced climber (whatever that means since there is no training I'm aware of that teaches you to safely climb a wrecked roller coaster in a loving ocean), once they knew he was up there, how could the police just walk away? That would be a failure to do their jobs. Hope this helps clear up that this is not a black or white issue, just many shades of grey.

I guess truth is all about perspective... I suppose it's subjective if you needed to be rescued or not - although you lost your fine vessel that brought you to the coaster, I am confident you could have swam to shore being load tide and calm waters. Since the water was clear, you could see any potential underwater hazards. I'm not sure how time was moving for you, but the police gave you time to get down before calling out the water rescue. I get the personal responsibility and the like, but did you really expect the police to walk away, especially after the radio station was notified and news helicopters and vans were dispatched? I must say, you did a fine job attaching the flag, it made it through multiple storms, including last night's with very high wind. You may want to consider leaving the professional tree climbing guild and joining flagpole installers local #220!

WAS THERE A SIGN OF NO TRESPASSING ON THE RIDE,IF NOT HE IS A FREE MAN,HE CALL THE TV STATION,AND I DONT THINK HE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT SUICIDE.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30243.pdf There is no absolute prohibition in federal law on flying the flag twenty-four
hours a day. The Flag Code states:
It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on
buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic
effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated
during hours of darkness.23
There are eight sites in the United States where the flag is flown day and night
under specific legal authority: Fort McHenry National Monument, Baltimore,
Maryland;24 Flag House Square, Baltimore, Maryland;25 the United States Marine
Corps Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington, Virginia;26 Lexington, Massachusetts...Its a violation of the rules of the flag here and sec 8 of the rules of the flag! This violation is 100.00 fine and up to 30 days in jail!

So, by this logic they'll be arresting any diver that dives a wreck? Which, BTW, is far more dangerous to the person doing it.

Give him credit for having some balls and giving us some positive publicity. He's far more talented than Snooki.

good luck chris..now here come the fines

PLEASE THROW THIS CASE OUT GOV CHRISTIE CALL THE COURT AND TRY TO GET RID OF THIS CASE VERY QUIETLY