On a Friday evening in late July, two men bought tickets to Seattle's Space Needle and rode up with the crowds, as countless visitors before them had. Within minutes they had slipped past the glass wall that ringed the observation deck, changed into helmets, and leapt into the open air, sheltered only by parachutes. The sky over the city is wide, and once they were beneath it, the men became unknown: police have not identified them, and no one can say with certainty where they came down. What remains is a question of how a place built to be looked at from above can also be a place someone choo
Seattle Police Seek Two Men Who BASE-Jumped From the Space Needle
They bought tickets, went into a restroom, and came out wearing helmets.
Mark
So what actually happened Friday night?
Mimi
Two men bought tickets, went up around 8:50 p.m., ducked into a restroom, came out in helmets, climbed over the glass wall and jumped off the Space Needle.
Mark
That's a 605-foot drop. Did anyone see them land?
Mimi
Not that we know. Security at the Needle wasn't sure where they came down, and police couldn't find them.
Luke
That's worth holding onto. The jump itself comes from police describing camera footage. Nobody has said they watched the landing, so we don't know it went safely or where it ended.
Mark
And they're charged with something?
Mimi
Trespassing, according to a report from police spokesman Brian Pritchard. Though they paid to get in.
Luke
Careful with the word charged. The report says they face trespassing charges, but the men haven't been identified or caught, so this is what police expect, not a case in court.
Mark
What do we know about who they are?
Mimi
Almost nothing. White men in their late 20s, per police.
Luke
And that's a thin description. The Space Needle hasn't commented either, so anything about security gaps or response is still unknown.
O Pulso
- Two men walked into the Space Needle at about 8:50 p.m. and were gone from the observation deck in minutes.
- Cameras caught them changing into helmets in a restroom before they ran to the glass wall and vaulted over it.
- Security staff and police lost track of the jumpers after they parachuted 605 feet, with no confirmed landing site.
- Investigators are working to identify the men, who face trespassing charges, while the attraction has yet to comment on its security.
On a Friday evening in late July, two men bought tickets to Seattle's Space Needle and rode up with the crowds, as countless visitors before them had. Within minutes they had slipped past the glass wall that ringed the observation deck, changed into helmets, and leapt into the open air, sheltered only by parachutes. The sky over the city is wide, and once they were beneath it, the men became unknown: police have not identified them, and no one can say with certainty where they came down. What remains is a question of how a place built to be looked at from above can also be a place someone chooses to leave by the edge.
Shortly before nine on Friday evening, two men bought tickets to the Space Needle and rode the elevator up like any other visitors. Police say they entered at about 8:50 p.m. Within minutes, they had gone over the edge of Seattle's best-known landmark and dropped 605 feet under parachutes.
The observation deck is round and ringed by tall glass windows open to the sky. Cameras recorded the two men on the top level, where they ducked into a restroom and emerged wearing helmets. They then ran to the glass, climbed over it, and jumped.
What followed is unclear. Space Needle security did not know where the men landed, and police could not find them. Authorities have not named the pair, who have been described only as white men in their late 20s. They face trespassing charges, even though they had paid for admission, because the jump took them past the area open to visitors.
The act is known as BASE jumping, an extreme sport whose name refers to the platforms jumpers use: buildings, antennas, spans, and Earth. A tower in the middle of a city fits the first category.
The Space Needle had not responded to requests for comment by Saturday, so its account of the incident and any changes it might make are still unknown. For now, the questions are simple: who the men are, where they landed, and whether they can be found.
Shortly before nine on Friday evening, two men bought tickets to the Space Needle and rode up like any other visitors. According to the Seattle Police Department, they entered at about 8:50 p.m. Within minutes, they would go over the edge of Seattle's best-known landmark and drop 605 feet under parachutes.
The Needle's observation deck is round, ringed by tall glass windows that are open to the sky above. Police say cameras picked up the two men on the top level. They went into a restroom and came out wearing helmets.
From there, according to the department's account, they ran to the glass wall, climbed over it to the far side, flipped off the edge and jumped.
What happened next is unclear. Security staff at the Space Needle were not sure where the men came down, and police were unable to find them afterward. Authorities have not identified the pair. They have been described only as white men in their late 20s.
The jumpers face trespassing charges, according to a report provided by Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard. That charge stands even though they paid for admission, since police say the jump took them beyond the area open to visitors.
The act has a name. BASE jumping is an extreme sport in which people leap from fixed objects and deploy a parachute. The word is an acronym for the platforms jumpers use: buildings, antennas, spans, meaning bridges, and Earth, meaning cliffs and other natural formations. A 605-foot structure in the middle of a city fits the first category.
The Space Needle did not immediately answer emailed requests for comment on Saturday, so the attraction's own account of the incident, and of what it might change, is not yet on record.
For now, the open questions are basic ones: who the men are, where they landed, and whether they can be found. Watch for an identification, formal charges, and any word from the Space Needle on whether security at the deck will change.
Citações Notáveis
The jumpers face trespassing charges, according to a report provided by the department.— Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard, Seattle Police Department
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Leia o original em The Associated Press ↗
Crime & Justice