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Man breaks into Fox 29 studios with sledgehammer

The incident happened shortly before 5:30 a.m. when officers said they received a report of a man waving a sledgehammer and attempting to forcibly enter the TV studios at 4th and Market.

Early Thursday morning, a man broke the glass to the front door of Fox29's studios at 4th and Market Streets.
Early Thursday morning, a man broke the glass to the front door of Fox29's studios at 4th and Market Streets.Read moreALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer

A man was taken into custody early Thursday in Old City after using a sledgehammer to break through the security doors at Fox 29′s studio, Philadelphia police said.

The incident happened shortly before 5:30 a.m. when officers said they received a report of a man waving a sledgehammer at passersby and attempting to forcibly enter the TV studio at Fourth and Market Streets. The man said he wanted to speak with one of the station’s anchors, authorities said.

A 26-year-old witness intervened, securing the man with the hammer inside the studio’s reception area, police said. Because they were already in the area, SEPTA police responded. After a struggle, they subdued the man with a Taser, police said.

No passersby, station employees, or officers were injured in the break-in.

A spokesperson for Fox TV stations referred a reporter to Fox 29′s report of the incident, which was addressed on its morning show, Good Day Philadelphia.