2 people arrested for breaking into radio tower on Cheshire Bridge Road

ATLANTA – Last month, two people were arrested after being found in a radio tower near Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta.

Atlanta police released a bodycam video of the arrest shortly before 6 p.m. on August 18. The video shows officers using A Man who watched the couple enter the maintenance hut at the base of the tower.

“In the building, I saw two guys go in and close the door. They broke in,” the man told officers. “This is the tower of a radio station. I'm shutting down the station.”

“But the force there is great enough to kill them,” the man added.

As officers approached the radio shack at the tower, they noticed shoes and other clothing lying around in the fenced area. One of the officers climbed over the barbed wire fence while the other covered him.

When officers heard voices coming from inside, they repeatedly shouted for them to “get out” of the building. Eventually, two people were seen opening the doors.

“Put down everything you have. Put everything on the ground,” the officer said, holding the two at gunpoint.

As the men walked down the stairs, one remarked, “I'm just here to visit him.” To which the officer replied, “This is not a house to visit, my man.”

One of the men also joked that he had been there for four months.

Inside, officers searched the contents. They found a backpack with a butane lighter, Zippo fuel, and unknown crystals. According to police, these crystals turned out to be crystal meth, and the bag also contained scales and syringes.

Joseph Marquis, 61, was charged with criminal damage, trespassing and possession of a Schedule I drug. He was taken to the Fulton County Jail.

Bryan Newcomb, 30, was charged with trespassing and criminal damage.

Bryan Newcomb and Joseph Marquis were arrested after Atlanta police found them in a shack near a radio tower on Cheshire Bridge Road on August 18, 2024. (Atlanta Police Department)

The tower is located about 500 feet from an overpass that had to be replaced after a fire in December 2023. The section of Cheshire Bridge Road near Faulkner Road reopened in May.