Back in 2014, New Jersey teenager then-16-year-old Justin Casquejo was busted for breaking into and climbing 1 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan “for the ‘gram.” It was considered a major security breach at the time, with Casquejo crawling through a hole in the fence around the perimeter and “slipping past a sleeping security guard,” according to the Post. He received a slap on the wrist from an NYC judge under misdemeanor charges for scaling buildings in NYC:
“The court is impressed by your sincerity and remorsefulness,” Mennin told the teen in September 2014. “It will now be up to you to prove the court right.”
He was sentenced to 30 days’ community service, and ordered to undergo counseling and write a 1,200-word essay on the risks of the stunt.
Two years later, Casquejo is back at it again. His most recent high-altitude urban adventure was climbing the 66-story tower at 220 Central Park South, a massive luxury residence tower project that will soon be home to a three-story $250 million condo. Another urban explorer named Viktor Thomas scaled the skyscraper earlier this year, with photos hitting the Internet back in November.
The selfie-filled video Casquejo shot from high above Central Park South will make your hands tremble. Watch it above.
A blog dedicated to NYC Emergency responders isn’t taking Justin Casquejo’s latest vertigo-inducing stunt lightly:
All 5 boro’s of NYC offer a range of challenges emergency responders must face on a daily basis. From Manhattan’s sky scrapers above ground to below grade Subway lines, Staten Island shipping container terminal or even a private dwelling in the Bronx which holds the unknown such as a drug den like the one that took the life of FDNY Battalion Chief Michael Fahy in September, 2016. FDNY Firefighters have to be on their toes and ready to handle whatever is thrown their way. Aside from buildings, we also have all walks of life, including ones who feel important enough to evade security at a Central Park South High Rise being built. An urban exploer posts videos on youtube of his tresspassing adventure into Manhattan’s High Rises and puts himself into precarious positions just for the thrill of it. Unfortunately, those that must respond in the event he should become trapped or injured on one of these journeys, don’t see the thrill the way he does. This puts responders in a position they are trained for, but never wish to have to execute. Should the thrill seekers selfish acts fail, it will tie up highly trained technical rescue resources and put members at risk of their own.
His events call to question the integrity of the security hired to secure the buildings he gained access to. This leaves NYC’s huge buildings vulnerable. In this day in age, this is completely unacceptable.
And this guy on YouTube is asking the real questions:
As a New Yorker, Justin Casquejo’s Instagram gives me sweats. He’s literally one sweaty finger away from becoming “pavement soup” as someone put it on YouTube. Why can’t teenagers in 2016 just do normal things like chase chicks and prank their friends at the Dairy Queen:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNCTaTuDtFw/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMRe_64jENk/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMCBeRpjOzb/