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UPDATE: The man arrested has been identified as Tobias Hartsfield, 43, of Bettendorf. He faces charges of first-degree theft and first- and second-degree criminal mischief.

Earlier report: A naked man was spotted untying ropes atop a barge near the Interstate 74 new bridge construction in Bettendorf Sunday night, according to witnesses.

Eyewitnesses said that the man — who was nude — was walking along the barge around 7:50 p.m. when he started untying ropes and gesturing in a diving motion with his hands.

Allyssa Bryant and Aiden Lee, of Bettendorf, were hoping for a leisurely Sunday evening stroll down the Mississippi River Trail, near the Isle Casino Hotel, when they spotted the man.

"Look at that shirtless dude!" Bryant recalled saying.

"He's not shirtless — he's buck naked," Lee responded.

The man was untying ropes along the barge and pushing them into the river. He was also engaged in a "ritual-looking thing" with his hands, the witnesses said.

After a few minutes of confusion, Bryant, a Bettendorf High School student, called the police.