Commuters stuck in traffic during Friday morning in the eastern districts of San Jose were surprised to see a naked man calmly walking down the street and occasionally attempting to direct the flow of traffic.

The incident occurred in San Pedro, precisely at the traffic circle that surrounds the Hispanic Heritage Fountain. According to a television report broadcast by national television network Teletica, commuters alerted police about the naked man around 6:45 am. Officers from the nearby Montes de Oca precinct of Fuerza Publica, the national police force of Costa Rica, arrived on scene at 7:28 am due to heavy traffic.

The naked man was described as being of medium build and in his early 30s. He did not respond to comments and taunts from drivers stuck in traffic, and he was mostly oblivious to what was going on around him except when he moved near an intersection to conduct traffic with hand and arm signals similar to those used by transit police officers.

Witnesses explained that they did not see the man arrive with clothes on at the fountain; he simply walked naked onto traffic.

The man was arrested by police and taken to the nearest precinct, where he was given a citation for committing an offense against public safety. A relative was called and asked to bring clothes to the man while he awaited an interview by a mental health professional.

This is not the first time a naked scene has stopped traffic in the capital city of Costa Rica. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, three naked university coeds walked on a busy roadway carrying planters in June of last year. In August, a naked man ran down a busy street in San Jose chanting one of the many names used to describe the devil in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths; he was quickly apprehended by police officers on foot patrol.