SEATTLE — The Seattle Police Department is searching for two men who scaled the glass wall of the city’s iconic Space Needle on Friday, flipped off the edge and parachuted from the 605-foot-tall structure.
The jumpers are facing trespassing charges, according to a report filed by Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard.
BASE players purchased tickets and entered the Space Needle at about 8:50 p.m. Friday, according to the Seattle Police Department. The popular attraction has a circular observation deck surrounded by high glass windows that open to the sky above.
The Space Needle and Seattle skyline appear against a cloudy sky, Thursday, April 30, 2020, as seen from Kerry Park.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
They were seen on camera on the top floor of the Needle Hotel, then went into the bathroom and emerged wearing the helmets, according to police.
They ran to the glass window, climbed to the other side, then jumped, according to police.
Security at the Space Needle wasn’t sure where the men had landed, and police were unable to locate them. They have not been identified by authorities and are only described as white men in their late twenties.
BASE jumping is an extreme sport that involves jumping off objects and opening a parachute. It is an abbreviation for the platforms from which skydivers jump: buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and the ground.
The Space Needle did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment on Saturday.
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