Ohio man charged for illegally climbing Mackinac Bridge last fall

ST. IGNACE, Mich. (WLUC) - A man who allegedly climbed the Mackinac Bridge in November has been arraigned on his charge.

Investigators from the Michigan State Police (MSP) St. Ignace Post report that 25-year-old Isaac Kendall Wright, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was arraigned Thursday, Feb. 18, in the 89th District Court of Cheboygan County on a charge of Felony Trespass Upon a Key Transportation Facility. Wright trespassed on the Mackinac Bridge on Nov. 5, 2020.

The investigation began when photographs taken from the top of the south tower of the Mackinac Bridge surfaced on social media platforms. Upon learning of the photos, Mackinac Bridge Authority personnel reviewed an incident in which an alarm was activated on the bridge early one morning in November, and a check of the surveillance video revealed evidence of the crime.

MSP investigators soon discovered that multiple other law enforcement agencies from around the country were investigating similar crimes believed to be committed by the same individual.

Detectives from multiple states began to work together, and eventually were able to arrest Wright in Winona, Arizona. He was extradited to Cincinnati, Ohio to face his first set of criminal charges, before being arraigned virtually on the Michigan charge.

Wright currently remains lodged in the Hamilton County Jail in Ohio. His preliminary exam on the Michigan charge is scheduled for March 5 through the 89th District Court of Cheboygan County.