An American, 47, reportedly tried to climb over a fence in Piazza del Colosseo, presumably to get a closer look at the Colosseum, before falling and impaling himself.

A tourist was impaled for more than 20 minutes, had to undergo surgery and now faces questions about why he was on the fence.

According to multiple Italian news outlets, the bloody incident occurred on Friday, May 2, with the unidentified 47-year-old man, who’s also a resident of Taiwan, found hanging on the metal bars at the Piazza del Colosseo, piercing his spine.