Watch These BASE Jumpers Take an Insane Dive from 1 World Trade Center [VIDEO]

new york skyline with 1 world trade center

new york skyline with 1 world trade center

Here comes the most insane video you’ll see this week, if not this year. Around 3 a.m. on September 30, three men BASE jumped from the top floor of 1 World Trade Center. The resulting video will make you grip your chair in fear as the filming jumper lands on the West Side Highway. Skip to 2:30 for the action:

James Brady, 32; Marko Markovich, 26; and Andrew Rossig, 33, were charged with reckless endangerment, burglary and BASE jumping for the incident, as was their lookout Kyle Hartwell, 29, who didn’t jump.

Breaking into and ascending the 105-floor, 1,776-foot tall Freedom Tower was hard enough, so it probably didn’t hurt that Brady briefly worked as a construction worker on the building. The jumpers reportedly gained access to the building by slipping through a hole in the fence that was covered by nothing but a tarp, which certainly shines a negative light on the security surrounding this supposedly protected building.

After news of parachuters landing in the early morning in the Financial District last September and fears of a potential terrorist act began to spread, the jumpers laid low until they were busted by investigators. Considering the security implications of the break-in, authorities persevered until they were able to identify the culprits. The icing on the cake was when authorities obtained search warrants for the jumpers’ homes and discovered GoPro camera footage of the jump, according to the New York Daily News. The three jumpers and their lookout turned themselves in yesterday evening. Here the Gothamist depicts two of the culprits being arraigned:

The four were released on $3,500 bail last night.

It appears the jumpers are serial daredevils. Rossig and Brady were previously arrested in December 2012 for trying to jump from a tower at Co-op City in the Bronx.

BASE jumping involves jumping from a fixed object and using a parachute to break your fall.

 
Would you take this 105-story dive off of New York City’s Freedom Tower?

Photo by David Shankbone
via the Gothamist

Lauren Mobertz

By Lauren Mobertz

Lauren is the former managing editor for DashBurst. One part geek, one part urban nomad, she is constantly scouting for the latest tech and world news. In the evenings you'll find Lauren running in strange places or attempting to dance salsa.