Police got the heads-up early Thursday: An anonymous caller warned that Jeb Ray Corliss IV was going to parachute off the world-famous Empire State Building.Sure enough, at 4:40 p.m., Corliss, 30, a renowned daredevil from Malibu, Calif., made a beeline toward the 86th-floor observation deck. But a building security officer put the grab on him and thwarted his attempt at a rush-hour spectacle.
Authorities were decidedly unamused, noting that innocent pedestrians could have been killed.
“I don’t know about parachuting,” said Timothy Donohue, a security official for the Empire State Building. “But it’s New York City. It’s rush hour. It’s not the time to be jumping off buildings.”
Corliss, once secured, faced charges of assault, reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing.
Awesome - and he almost got away with it. I’ve heard all kinds of comments from people regarding this… the guys over at Z100 (the radio station I listen to every morning) were commenting on how Jeb Corliss must be a nut for doing shit like this. You know what I think? I think Jeb has to be severely pissed off… you can see in the picture above, the guy was hanging on the railings ON THE OTHER SIDE! He was moments away from jumping.
I feel he’ll be back - just as soon as he’s released from Riker’s Island.
April 29th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
I’m glad someone else is on his side (not of the fence, mind you). The point I like making is that however “reckless” Corliss’s jump may have been, it was actually far more reckless to try to stop him once he got over the barrier.
May 5th, 2006 at 5:59 am
I remember visting the observation deck and throwing pennies. Some believed that the pennies hit the sidewalk below like bullets, and until recently, I learned that it was all a myth. I was so relieved, 40 years later and no more guilt.