What to Know
- A New Jersey man with a history of pranks tried to carve the Maine ice disk into a peace sign
- The man was armed with a pickax, hatchet and small chainsaw, but he did not manage to tame the piece of ice
- Law enforcement sources said it was not illegal to try to chop river ice
A New Jersey man may have failed Thursday to carve the world-famous Maine ice disk into a peace sign, but he did manage to amuse local law enforcement.
Westbrook is home to the famous ice disk that has been spinning circles in the Presumpscot River since early January of this year.
Christopher Angelo of New Jersey went to Westbrook on Thursday to study this phenomenal ice floe and attempt to carve it into a peace sign using the pickax, hatchet and small chainsaw he brought on board the ice disk, the Portland Press Herald reports.
Angelo was also reported to have with him a tarp, umbrella and a foam body board, all of which were transported on an inflatable raft.
This is not Angelo’s first public stunt. In January 2013 Angelo was arrested for climbing the Star Jet roller coaster that had been swept into the ocean, a remnant of Superstorm Sandy’s devastation.
He flew an American flag atop the rollercoaster wreckage claiming to be raising awareness for storm relief. On another anniversary of Sandy, Angelo was arrested again for climbing another ride from the same theme park, a stunt he also claimed was for storm relief.
Local
This time, however, local law enforcement says he’s technically not doing anything illegal.
“It isn’t against the law to chop river ice,” says Captain Sean Lally. “Unusual? Yes. Why someone would come here from New Jersey to chop up an ice disk is beyond me. I do know that the river will continue to flow and the Maine winter is far from over, so Mr. Angelo might want to seek long-term accommodations if he intends to defy Mother Nature.”
Angelo had made little progress on the ice disk and at one point had even fallen into the river up to his waist. By Thursday afternoon, he retired his laborious work and moved his gear off of the ice.
