A viral video captured Tuesday appears to show a wild bald eagle perching on the extended ladder of a Minnesota fire truck. That truck was taking part in a flag display commemorating the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
"Unbelievable," Andover Fire Department Fire Chief Jerry Streich repeatedly exclaimed on the video he shot in the northern Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids. The department says the video has been viewed more than one million times.
The video shows two aerial fire trucks parked on an overpass, suspending an American flag between their ladders — a tribute to the victims and first responders of the 9/11 attacks.
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The national bird landed on the top of one of the truck's ladders, paused for a moment on the edge of the basket, then flew off.
"There's no better symbol to represent America today than a flag but then for an eagle to land on a fire truck holding a flag, I mean, it doesn't get much more symbolic than that," Streich said, KARE-TV reports.
Streich said this is the 17th year for the city's annual tribute.
Firefighters from multiple departments were at the event, which included draping a banner over the overpass' railing that said "We will never forget," reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Streich said he couldn't believe his eyes when the eagle landed for what he described as less than a minute.
Contributing: KARE-TV, Minneapolis-St. Paul; Associated Press