A tenant in a luxury San Francisco apartment building has been arrested on allegations that he committed the vandalism that caused the 29-story high rise to flood.
San Francisco firefighters were called to the 100 Van Ness apartment building at around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday due to reports of an active fire alarm.
When officers of the San Francisco Police Department responded a few minutes later, they found 46-year-old Michael Nien naked and drenched in water gushing from a pipe next to him.
Mr. Nien was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and resisting arrest, and is now in SFPD custody.
The alleged vandalism took place on the 11th floor of the apartment building. Building officials say multiple residences on the 11th floor and below are now uninhabitable. The elevators are also out of commission due to water damage.
Building resident Emily Igler described the deluge, noting to Bay Area Fox affiliate KTVU-TV that “Water was gushing out. There was like a six-foot tall massive spray of water coming out 10 feet down out of the water main.”
Ms. Igler suggested that the suspect seemed to be having a mental health episode, explaining that a bystander “physically stopped him from attacking the pipe.”
Mr. Nien had previously expressed discontent toward building management. In a Facebook post from Oct. 1, Mr. Nien wrote that “I cannot express the number of emotions I have for the management of 100 Van Ness Avenue,” according to KTVU-TV.
The management company for the building told tenants in a letter Tuesday that they would reimburse tenants up to $300 for a night of lodging and would look into alternate interim housing for those who need it, according to the San Francisco Standard.
A spokesperson for 100 Van Ness told the Standard that “We are working diligently with elevator repair teams, a water remediation company, and city inspectors to return the building to full working order as quickly as possible. … We are hopeful that at least one elevator will be operational tomorrow.”
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