Maison DesChamps, ‘Prolife Spiderman,’ climbs Phoenix building

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.

Jim Wyatt

Maison DesChamps

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Maison DesChamps

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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.”

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.