A protester is hanging from the Tappan Zee bridge on a rope ladder with a sign about government “cover up.”

The man, wearing an American flag bandanna, is sitting on the bottom rung of the rope ladder, with a 24-foot banner hanging below him.

The blue banner, painted with yellow lettering, reads: “Rockland Executive Legislature Coverup Retaliation” above some other words and numbers that cannot be seen clearly.

The protester started out wearing a black long-sleeved shirt but then stripped down to a white tanktop. He is sipping from a thermos as he sits.

Traffic on the bridge is delayed.

A spokesman for the Rockland County executive, C. Scott Vanderhoef, said “we don’t know who he is… we hope he comes down and tells the county executive or the legislature what is of concern to him.”

UPDATE 2:20PM EST: A protester who was hanging by rope off the Westchester County-bound side of the Tappan Zee Bridge plunged into the Hudson River and was pulled out of the water by police this afternoon.

Michael Davitt of Garnerville was being lowered to a waiting barge when he let go, hit the barge and ended up in the water, said Rockland Sheriff’s Capt. William Barbera.

Davitt was taken to the state police barracks in Tarrytown.

Davitt had been holding a sign possibly expressing anger toward County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef and the Rockland Legislature.

(Source: NBC New York)