New York police have identified the man who hung several flags, including the flag of Kazakhstan, on the Brooklyn Bridge before stripping off and jumping into the East River. He is 44-year-old blogger Galymzhan Abaildayev, according to infohub.kz.
The man resides in Brooklyn. After the incident, he was rescued by New York water police, taken to a hospital, and later charged with reckless endangerment, trespassing, disorderly conduct, graffiti, and public lewdness.
The New York Post, citing a neighbor, reports that shortly before the incident, Abaildayev had spoken of his intention to jump off the bridge, and the incident occurred on his birthday.
Based on his public social media accounts, Abaildayev ran a political blog where he regularly posted videos about Kazakhstan. Much of his content appeared highly eccentric. He also used the pseudonym Mangurt Magdi online.
The official motive for his actions remains unknown. While foreign media have linked the incident to the man's political views, New York police have not cited a reason, and Abaildayev has not given any public explanation since his arrest.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that the man hung several flags, including the Kazakh flag, on the Brooklyn Bridge before jumping into the East River from a height of about 85 meters. Despite the fall, he survived and was quickly rescued by New York water police.