Tampa, Florida -- Tampa International Airport Police officers are investigating an incident involving a man who says he was zip tied to a tree near the airport.

The man, identified as 35-year-old Nicholas Candelaria, told police two people he knows robbed him of $500, his cell phone and his prescription drugs and tied him to a tree. He said he tried to scream for help on airport property as he was being taken away. At some point, an employee from Davey Tree Company, who was doing work in the area, heard Candelaria's screams and freed him from the tree near Hesperides Street and W. Crest Avenue before police got there.

He was interviewed by authorities and taken away in an ambulance to a nearby St. Joseph's Hospital for evaluation.

Tampa Police and Tampa International Airport Police were both at the scene, but TIA Police has taken over the investigation.