Justin Casquejo, 16, entered 1 World Trade Center after crawling through a small hole in the construction fence.
Mission: Impossible it wasn’t.
A daredevil New Jersey teen sneaked up to the antenna atop 1 World Trade Center in the middle of the night to take pictures — passing a sleeping guard, officials said Thursday.
The New Jersey teen says he climbed scaffolding and found an entry point on the sixth floor.
Justin Casquejo, 16, managed to crawl through a 12-by-12-inch hole in the construction fence surrounding the nation’s tallest building at about 4:10 a.m. on Sunday and then scaled a scaffolding surrounding the tower to get inside, according to Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo.
The teen told investigators he climbed the scaffolding until he was able to find an entry point on the sixth floor.
Casquejo says he took the elevator to the 88th floor and used a staircase to get to the roof.
He rode the elevator to the 88th floor, according to court documents and then “took the staircase up to 104th floor,” he told police.
“I went to the rooftop and climbed the ladder all the way to the antenna,” Casquejo admitted.
The teen slipped past a sleeping security guard, who has since been fired.
A Port Authority officer ultimately grabbed Casquejo on the 104th floor at 6 a.m. — two hours after he breached the gates, officials said.
The teen also crept by a sleeping private security guard on the 104th floor, who has since been fired, officials said.
The teen was arrested on criminal trespassing charges.
The tower is protected by the Port Authority and a private security force, according to authorities.
Casquejo was arrested on criminal trespassing charges. He was released on his own recognizance at his arraignment and is due back in court in early April, according to a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr..
Officials says they will use this incident to patch up holes in the building’s security grid.
Casquejo had a cell phone and a camera on him, which were seized and vouchered, Pentangelo said.
Officials were thrown by the breach, but promise to use this incident to patch up any holes in the building’s security grid.
"We take security and these types of infractions extremely seriously and will prosecute violators,” Chief Security Officer Joseph Dunne said in a statement. “ We continue to reassess our security posture at the site and constantly working to make this site as secure as possible."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/daredevil-teen-sneaks-top-1-world-trade-center-unnoticed-article-1.1727931#ixzz2wWKeogtY
No comments:
Post a Comment