A man spent more than two hours on the roof of an Upper Hutt chicken restaurant.

A topless man who ignored police pleas for more than two hours to get off the roof of an Upper Hutt chicken restaurant has swung his way down safely.

The man was arrested about 9.50am on Thursday after climbing down suspended beneath a firefighter ladder which a negotiator had climbed to negotiate with him.

He was bundled into a police car and taken away covered in a white sheet.

TOM HUNT/FAIRFAX NZ Police, fire and ambulance staff are at the scene.

Firefighters, police and ambulance staff were called to Gerry's Charcoal Chicken and Cooked Seafoods on Keys St, Upper Hutt, shortly after 7am.

The man, wanted by police in relation to a serious domestic incident on Wednesday night, was on the steep, wet roof and refusing to come down.

At one stage the shirtless man was seen on the roof of the single-storey building pacing back and forth.

He also appeared to be doing some sort of warm-up exercises and shadow boxing as he paced on the roof.

He occasionally waved his arms, but was ignoring the negotiator who was up a long ladder trying to talk to him.

Police closed Keys St during the standoff.

The man swung to the ground underneath a fire truck ladder. He was then arrested, handcuffed and taken away from the scene in a police car.



Upper Hutt man Ron Woolford came across the "all action" scene about 8.30 during his morning walk.

The man on the roof, who appeared to have been drinking or "eaten something", was waving and "kung-fuing".

Richard Arons, who works at a neighbouring garage, was coming to work at 7.45am and the man was already up on the roof.

About 7am police went to an Upper Hutt house where there were reports of a man damaging property.

Police said after officers arrived, the man ran away, and during the foot pursuit got on the roof of the restaurant.