A man has been taken to hospital after an extraordinary sequence of events in South Yarra that saw him jump from a childcare centre roof, allegedly attempt multiple carjackings, and dive into Melbourne’s Yarra River.
The Incident Unfolds
The incident unfolded on Chapel Street on Tuesday morning when the man somehow made it onto the roof of a childcare centre before jumping from a ledge and falling 10 metres into bushes below.
Witnesses described the shocking moment they saw the man running through the childcare centre.
“I saw a gentleman coming through the kindergarten, running like a top athlete, jumping over the furniture and then actually jumped in one go on top of the ledge,” one witness said.
“He did basically a Superman jump, which was quite brave, and he just landed literally here in the bushes. You can see where everything is flattened down. That’s why basically we found him from the top and then called triple-0.”
Escape and Carjack Attempts
But the drama didn’t end there. The man managed to get up and run towards Chapel Street, where witnesses say he hitched a ride on the side of a removalist van.
After jumping off the van, he allegedly attempted to carjack multiple vehicles without success before making a beeline towards the Church Street Bridge.
Yarra River Dive
In a final desperate move, the man either jumped or, as witnesses described, intentionally dived into the Yarra River and tried to swim away.
Police on the ground pulled him from the water and he was taken to hospital for an assessment.
“A lot of weird s*** happens here that you don’t get in Italy,” one local said.
Police are continuing their investigations into the bizarre rampage.
