Russian tourist arraigned on criminal charges after climbing to top of Brooklyn Bridge

BROOKLYN (WABC) -- A man visiting New York from Russia was arraigned Monday on criminal charges after climbing to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Police released video of 24-year-old Yaroslav Kolchin walking on one of the bridge's cable beams early Sunday afternoon.

Investigators say he reached the East Tower, where he paced back and forth taking pictures with his phone. Officers arrested Kolchin when he descended.

Kolchin is charged with reckless endangerment, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. Bail was set at $5,000, and he was told to hand over his Russian passport.

Authorities say he was part of a tour group visiting the city, staying at a Manhattan hotel. The rest of the group has since returned to Russia.

In court Monday, prosecutors said Kolchin climbed the bridge because he was bored and did it just for fun.

Prosecutors said his arrest required a "high allocation of resources." He posed a danger to the high volume of pedestrians gathered who passed beneath him on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon, they said.

It is the second security breach at the bridge in the past month.

In July, two German artists scaled the bridge and replaced two American flags with white flags, claiming it was a form of artistic expression.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is launching a "full scale review" of security at the bridge, but assured New Yorkers that they are being kept safe.

"You can hold me accountable and (Police) Commissioner (William) Bratton accountable," the mayor said. "We are in the process of making changes in the way we protect the bridges that are our responsibility."

A recent graduate from a Russian university, Kolchin works in advertising, he told his lawyer, Paul Liu, through a Russian translator. Liu told Judge Raymond Rodriguez that Kolchin did not expect to make bail. The attorney declined to comment on the case to reporters.

Kolchin's next hearing was scheduled for Aug. 29.