On a Friday evening in Seattle, two men who had paid for ordinary admission to the Space Needle carried a quieter purpose up to its summit, changed their clothes for something else, and stepped over the rim of the world's most visible glass crown. It is an old human impulse, the wish to leave the ground by one's own daring, now answered with a parachute and a dare against the city's skyline. As of the reporting, the men have vanished into the evening air and the city, leaving behind only a trespassing case, a shaken tower, and the question of how a visitor's ticket became a passage over the ed
Seattle Police Search for Two Men Who Parachuted from the Space Needle
Two ticketed visitors walked in the front door and left by the air.
Mark
Why does this one stick? People jump off things all the time.
Mimi
Because of how it was done. They bought tickets, went in at 8:50 p.m., changed into helmets in a restroom, and then went over the glass. Nothing was forced. They entered as ordinary visitors.
Mark
And the Space Needle is about as recognizable as a Seattle landmark gets.
Mimi
Right, 605 feet, with an observation deck open to the sky above its glass walls. That's the detail that makes the climb possible.
Luke
Before we go further, let's be clear about the sourcing. The sequence of events comes from police, who say they saw it on camera. We haven't seen the footage.
Mark
So it's attributed, not independently confirmed.
Luke
Yes. It's the police account, passed along through a public affairs officer, Brian Pritchard. That's reasonable, but it's still one source.
Mark
What about the landing?
Mimi
Nobody seems to know. Security wasn't sure where they came down, and police couldn't find them.
Luke
Which means we can't say whether it went well. No injuries have been reported, but that's absence of information, not evidence of safety.
Mark
And the description of the men?
Luke
Thin. White men in their late 20s. No names. That wouldn't narrow much.
Mimi
The Space Needle hasn't commented yet either, so the open question is what changes at the deck.
El Pulso
- Two men slipped past the observation deck's glass barrier at the top of a 605-foot tower in a matter of minutes.
- Security staff and police lost track of the jumpers the moment they went over the edge, with no known landing point.
- Police are working from surveillance footage and a public affairs report, but neither man has been named.
- The tower's access and barrier protocols now sit under scrutiny, and the case remains open with no injury reports confirmed.
On a Friday evening in Seattle, two men who had paid for ordinary admission to the Space Needle carried a quieter purpose up to its summit, changed their clothes for something else, and stepped over the rim of the world's most visible glass crown. It is an old human impulse, the wish to leave the ground by one's own daring, now answered with a parachute and a dare against the city's skyline. As of the reporting, the men have vanished into the evening air and the city, leaving behind only a trespassing case, a shaken tower, and the question of how a visitor's ticket became a passage over the edge.
At about 8:50 on Friday evening, two men bought tickets to the Space Needle and walked up to its observation deck like any other visitors. Seattle police say surveillance cameras caught them slipping into a restroom, where they came out in helmets. From there they ran to the glass windows that ring the round deck, climbed over, and jumped into the air under parachutes.
The deck is open to the sky, and the barrier they scaled was the only thing between a tourist's view and a 605-foot drop. The jump is a form of BASE jumping, an extreme sport whose name comes from the fixed objects jumpers leap from: buildings, antennas, spans, and Earth.
After the jump, the trail went cold. Security staff did not know where the men landed, and officers could not find them. Both are described only as white men in their late 20s, and both face trespassing charges.
The Space Needle had not responded to requests for comment by Saturday, so its account of how two ticketed visitors reached the glass has yet to be heard. What remains open is who the men are, whether either was hurt, and whether the tower will change its security or access rules.
At about 8:50 p.m. on Friday, two men bought tickets and walked into the Space Needle like any other visitors. Within a short time, according to the Seattle Police Department, they would be over the glass wall at the top of the 605-foot tower and falling toward the ground under parachutes.
Police say surveillance cameras picked up the pair on the Needle's top level. They went into a restroom and came out wearing helmets. From there, according to the department, they ran to the glass window surrounding the observation deck, climbed over to the other side, flipped over the edge and jumped.
The deck is round and ringed by high glass windows that are open to the sky above, which is the barrier the men are said to have scaled. The report was provided by Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard, and it says the two face trespassing charges.
What happened after the jump is unclear. Security staff at the Space Needle were unsure where the men landed, and police could not locate them. Authorities have not identified either man. The only description released is that they are white men in their late 20s.
The act has a name: BASE jumping, an extreme sport in which people leap from fixed objects and deploy a parachute. The word is an acronym for the kinds of platforms jumpers use: buildings, antennas, spans (meaning bridges) and Earth.
The Space Needle did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment on Saturday, so the attraction's account of the breach, and of how two ticketed visitors reached the glass wall, has not yet been heard.
Still open are the identities of the jumpers, whether either was hurt, and whether the Space Needle changes its security or access rules in response. For now, the case stands as a trespassing matter with two suspects who walked in through the front door and left by the air.
Citas Notables
The men bought tickets, went into a restroom, came out wearing helmets, then climbed over the glass wall and jumped.— Seattle Police Department report, via Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard (paraphrased)
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