Snowy I-75 stroll by naked man prompts evaluation

Auburn Hills — Some drivers who braved the snowstorm Sunday got an eyeful when a man on the expressway shed his clothes — except for his cowboy hat.

Police responded just after 11:30 a.m. to reports of a man walking naked in the middle of northbound Interstate 75 near the Chrysler ramp, south of University Drive, said Lt. Casimir Miarka. The man, a 53-year-old from Bloomfield Hills, was wearing only a cowboy hat.

"We did receive several calls about a gentleman walking on northbound I-75," Miarka said. "He was taking off his clothes."

The incident was captured on film by a motorist who pulled to the side of the expressway as the nude man, who appears to be barefoot, slowly walks in the opposite direction of traffic and cars maneuver around him along the snow-covered road.

"He's trying to open up car doors," a man says in the video. "His truck's over there, his clothes are all laid out in the road."

Police on Monday could not confirm if the man was attempting to open doors of passing cars.

"I think he was approaching cars," Miarka said. "I don't know if he was trying to open doors."

"It was already snowing and traffic was moving pretty slow," Miarka said. "Some cars passed just a few feet from him. It is incredible he wasn't hit."

Miarka said it appears the man drove onto the expressway before exiting his vehicle for the snowy stroll.

"It appears that he ran off the roadway and into the ditch," he said. "The report was the man was stripping off his clothes so I would assume (the police) found his clothes nearby."

Responding officers were able to get the man into a patrol car without incident, Miarka said.

"They transported him to the fire station to see what was going on, and they took him to the hospital," he said. "He was checked in and was being evaluated at the hospital."

Miarka said he does not know if the man remained hospitalized on Monday.

It is unknown why the man shed his clothes, he said.

"We really don't know...why he did what he did. He never told us why he did this," Miarka said. "We obviously wanted to get him medical treatment."

Miarka said it is not known what charges, if any, the man might face from the incident.

"Right now all we are concerned about is getting him some help to find out what is wrong with him," he said.

Sunday's incident came just days after another naked man was wrestled into custody by police on Thursday in Madison Heights. The 25-year-old Troy resident was seen around 1:45 p.m. walking along 12 Mile just west of Stephenson Highway.

"He didn't know where he was or how he got there," Detective Sgt. Marc Zupic said on Thursday. "It was pretty apparent that he had some mental impairment: either he wasn't taking his meds or has psychological problems and needs to be on medication."

The Troy man was transported to St. John Oakland Hospital where he was admitted for psychiatric evaluation.

hfournier@detroitnews.com

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Detroit News Staff Writer Mike Martindale contributed.