A man has scaled the side of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan with what looked like large suction cups, drawing hundreds of onlookers and prompting a significant police response.

The 58-story building is headquarters for the election campaign of Donald Trump, the US Republican presidential nominee.

pic.twitter.com/290ZPqASu8

— Jason Chu (@JasonC1219) August 10, 2016

Windows removed from 21st floor of #TrumpTower with highly trained @NYPDSpecialops officers speaking with climbing pic.twitter.com/os9J5Hy398

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 10, 2016

The man, wearing shorts, a black shirt and a backpack, was climbing the tower’s glass exterior above an outdoor patio several stories off the ground.

He also appeared to be using some kind of harness to suspend his body, according to a Reuters reporter on the scene and a video posted to Twitter.

Police shut down several streets surrounding the building in one of the city’s busiest neighbourhoods, while officers climbed to a section of the building above the man.

At one point, police officers smashed windows and broke through a ventilation duct in an attempt to block his progress, they even tried to swinging a rope to the man.

Although his climb was cut short at the 21st floor where he was pulled inside.

https://twitter.com/PhillyD/status/763506052428025856