Shocked passers-by at street level were convinced a 91-year-old man in the eastern German city of Magdeburg who was climbing around his roof was about to throw himself from it.

But suicide was the furthest thing from the man's mind. He was much more interested in making the most of Tuesday's warm weather to get a little home-improvement work done around -- and on top of -- the house.

"He was just re-coating the roofing with bitumen," police said. "But then he slipped."

The roofing tar kept him from sliding off the top of the building, but it was also the reason why he spent more time outside on the spring-like afternoon than he intended.

"When we got there, he was like a beetle on its back, with his arms and legs sprawled out and completely glued to the roof," the police spokesman said. "Due to his age, he couldn't free himself from his unfortunate situation."

Local firefighters carefully detached the unnamed senior citizen using a complicated system ropes and ladders. The man was unharmed but his clothes were described as "rather sticky."