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A protester opposing both war and artificial intelligence was taken into custody after climbing one of Washington, D.C.’s most prominent bridges. The individual, who had been perched atop the structure for nearly a week, was removed by law enforcement on Wednesday.
Guido Reichstadter, who was peacefully extracted from the bridge, now faces charges including crowding, obstructing, unlawful entry, and disobeying an officer, as confirmed by the Metropolitan Police Department to Fox News Digital.
The 45-year-old former jeweler and mathematics student scaled the 168-foot high structure on Friday night, declaring his intention to remain there “until the war is ended,” according to statements he made to Fox News Digital.
With assistance from the D.C. fire department, Reichstadter descended from the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge on May 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
By Tuesday, he shared on social media platform X that his water supply had been exhausted since Sunday, and he intended to come down on Wednesday morning.
“I’ll probably be going to jail for a while when I get down,” Reichstadter wrote in the post. “I hope that this action has offered something to motivate and inspire you, and that it can serve as fuel for greater commitment and action in the cause of peace and in the fight for our future.”
FOX 5 D.C. reported he began his dismount at about 9 a.m. local time, with firefighters and emergency crews using equipment to assist.
Protester Guido Reichstadter comes down from atop the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge with assistance from the D.C. fire department on May 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
He appeared to use an internal passageway inside the bridge during his dismount, the outlet reported.
Video showed Reichstadter traveling back to the ground in the basket of a fire department ladder truck before he was ushered into an ambulance.
MPD declined Fox News Digital’s request for the total cost and amount of resources expended during the six-day incident.
Protester Guido Reichstadter is put into an ambulance after coming down from atop the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge on May 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
The activist, who was protesting the war with Iran and AI development, told Fox News Digital he quit his job to protest because he has two children.
“I’ve lived a full life. I’ve been married, I’ve been in love, I’ve had a career. I don’t know if they’re gonna have that,” he said. “And that’s the most important thing in the world to me, is their future and the future of the whole human race.”
Reichstadter described the state of AI development as “dire,” saying he believes the goal of frontier AI companies is “to create AI systems which vastly outperform human cognitive capabilities in every respect.”
Protester Guido Reichstadter stands atop the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge on May 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Reichstadter climbed atop the bridge Friday, May 1 in protest of what he described as “Trump regime’s war in Iran” and against AI development, according to posts on X. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
He also condemned Congress for its alleged inaction in relation to the war with Iran, though he noted he does not believe the U.S. or any other country should have nuclear weapons.
“I’m not making excuses, or under any illusions that it is not an autocratic regime which has committed atrocities on its own people, but the path to a safe future does not involve nuclear weapons held by any state,” he said.
A protester against the U.S. war in Iran standing at the base of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge gives a peace sign to protester Guido Reichstadter who stands atop the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge on May 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Though Reichstadter’s protest coincided with “May Day” protests,” he said he is not involved in the movement.
He was previously arrested on charges related to AI protests in California. He was twice arrested for protesting on OpenAI’s San Francisco campus, and arrested again in 2025 for violating a judge’s order not to return.
Court records show he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor unlawful entry charge, receiving a suspended 90‑day sentence, 18 months of probation and a $50 fine, FOX 5 reported.