Man tries to cross border, trips alarms

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - It was a desperate attempt at a better life. A man from Belarus tried bolting across the International Railroad Bridge into the United States. However, he didn’t make it and the attempt was all caught on camera.

The illegal immigrant’s dash for freedom to the United States came to a quick end after being spotted by Customs and border protection agents early Tuesday morning.

As the 42-year-old man from Belarus attempted to cross the railroad bridge, he didn’t know he was tripping alarms, warning U.S. authorities about what he was doing.

MORE | This is the second time in three weeks Canadian authorities have had a security lapse. The last occurrence was at the end of August, when an empty rail car crossed the Whirlpool Railroad Bridge and sat unnoticed by Canadian officials for hours

U.S. Border Patrol Mike Scioli said, “At that point, agents were notified and they responded to the area to try to encounter the individual. At this point we have no idea who he is, what he is carrying, or what kind of danger he could bring, so a tactical arrest is made.”

It’s not known why the man attempted to cross in the Buffalo area, but it’s something that’s attempted more than most people would think.

Scioli said, “Through the sector whole wide we did 2,200 arrests, this past fiscal year from October to August we did a little over a thousand arrests. So we are making arrests here."

Agent Scioli said that the Buffalo sector is the busiest border in the Border Patrol on the country’s northern border.