WASHINGTON — Morale and holiday spirits ran dangerously low across the District in 2018, when a man climbed the National Christmas Tree and effectively broke it. The episode marked a bizarre Christmas crescendo, just days before the government shutdown.
The climber's name has never been publicly released, and authorities confirmed Thursday that he was never charged in the Dec. 21, 2018 incident.
The man climbed up the tree on the Ellipse, damaging branches 15-20 feet high. He remained there for more than an hour.
Authorities said the individual was emotionally disturbed, with witnesses reporting him singing, "God Bless America," at the top of his lungs.
But as Washington prepares to congregate once more for the lighting of the nation’s tree Thursday night, the National Park Service said no new additional security measures will be added.
"He climbed the tree when the First Family wasn’t there," NPS spokesperson Katie Liming said in an interview. "Security is as tight as it can get for the actual lighting. This individual climbed the tree days later, when we didn’t need such heightened security."
After authorities coaxed the man down from the tree, first responders admitted the individual to the District's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program for a mental health evaluation.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service said law enforcement's response could have increased significantly, if the disturbance happened during 2018's tree lighting ceremony weeks earlier.
"What I can share is that if it was a basic perimeter breach, as in the First Family wasn’t there and it was set up/prep stage only, it would’ve been a simple misdemeanor," the spokesperson said. "The presence of the First Family changes the game and would’ve made it something far more grave, and potentially moved into prosecution."
The individual managed to damage delicate branches, contributing to the tree’s eventual removal from the Ellipse. A heavy snowstorm in 2012 also weakened tree limbs and left the tree in relatively frail condition, the NPS said.
A new tree is now planted on the grounds between the White House and the Washington Monument. The National Christmas Tree Lighting begins at 5 p.m. Thursday and requires tickets to attend.