Teen Accused of Climbing Manhattan Skyscraper to Take Photos

A 17-year-old boy has been accused of climbing an under-construction residential tower that, upon completion, will be one of the city's tallest buildings so he could take photos, police say.

The teen is charged with criminal trespassing and reckless endangerment after he allegedly scaled 432 Park Ave. to take photos from atop the residential tower that already looms over the midtown skyline and will stand at 1,398 feet when its finished sometime next year.

Police say the teen was arrested after investigators brought him in for questioning about photos posted this week to his Instagram account that appear to have been taken from atop the tower.

One of the images shows the city draped in low clouds with only the spires of One World Trade Center and the Empire State Building breaking through. In another, the vantage point shifts over the building's edge, showing the city’s streets peeking through the cloud cover. At least two others also appear to have been taken from atop the tower.

On his Instagram account, the teen describes himself as an “urban historian." The account includes dozens of photos taken from dizzying heights across the city, with some shots showing subjects precariously close to building ledges.

Some other photos posted on the account also appear to have been taken from atop the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges.

The teen’s arrest is the latest in a string of breaches at landmarks across the city this year.

Earlier this year, another teen and four BASE jumpers were arrested after scaling the city’s tallest building, One World Trade Center, in separate incidents

Also earlier this year, a tourist was arrested after allegedly scaling the Brooklyn Bridge to take photo. A pair of German artists claimed to have scaled the span's towers to swap American flags with bleached-white ones. No charges have been filed in that case.

Below is one of the photos that appears to have been taken from atop 432 Park Ave.

//instagram.com/p/tTkiFMR4uI
Contact Us