Posted on 04/15/2010 7:27:19 PM PDT by JoeProBono
NEW YORK- Police responding to a report of a jumper at New York's Empire State Building said they discovered the male figure standing on the ledge was a cast iron statue.
Investigators said the life-sized man statue that inspired Wednesday's 911 calls was part of the "Event Horizon" art installation, which features several of the realistic sculptures installed on various ledges around the Midtown area of the Manhattan borough, the New York Post reported Thursday.
"It's a pain in the ass," a city police officer said of the art project. "It's a waste of manpower. We're short cops to begin with and we don't have enough cops to waste answering calls of statues committing suicide."
The statue was installed on the ledge in late March as part of artist Antony Gormley's exhibit.
Officials said 34 people have jumped from the Empire State Building's observation deck since it opened in 1931, six of them during the past 10 years.
Man leaps to his death from 86th floor observation deck at Empire State Building
New York Daily News ^ | March 30, 2010 | Kerry Burke and John Lauinger
Savulich/News
Body of unidentified man lies on sidewalk on W. 34th St.
after the man, believed to be in his 20s, reportedly jumped
from the Empire State Building
A young man took a fatal plunge from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building on Tuesday night, crashing down on W. 34th St. and horrifying pedestrians, police said.
The jumper managed to get past the 10-foot-high spiked fence ringing the observation deck and then disappeared below the outermost ledge around 6:15 p.m., police sources said.
He landed with a sickening thud on a sidewalk along W.34th St., near a bank branch at the northeast entrance of the famed midtown skyscraper.
"He came down in front of the Bank of America. Boom! It was an explosion," said Luis Mosquea, 28, who was manning the front entrance of a women's boutique on W. 34th St., across from where the man landed.
"His body was shattered and his sneakers were scattered on the sidewalk," said Mosquea, recalling in horror how stunned pedestrians scampered in every direction to flee the nightmarish sight.
"One guy ran over and covered the body with an umbrella," he said. ..."
Stupid liberal crap! The idiot "artist" probably made tons of money to boot.
Lol! And to think that was once a serious idea! To have people access blimps via the Empire State Building!
From Wiki:
Dirigible (airship) terminal
The building’s distinctive Art Deco spire was originally designed to be a mooring mast and depot for dirigibles. The 102nd floor was originally a landing platform with a dirigible gangplank.[28] A particular elevator, traveling between the 86th and 102nd floors, was supposed to transport passengers after they checked in at the observation deck on the 86th floor. However, the idea proved to be impractical and dangerous after a few attempts with airships, due to the powerful updrafts caused by the size of the building itself.[29] A large broadcast tower was added to the top of the spire in 1953.[28]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building#Dirigible_.28airship.29_terminal
Looks like he’s pushing the guy! :)
YEAH! The cops have enough to do answering calls from people who can't get their Chicken McNuggets!
A little public service announcement: Remember, folks, the police have no duty to protect a particular citizen. Calling 911 is the last thing you should do to protect yourself.
So the statue DID actually jump?!! Damn NYC cops! I hold them 100% responsible!
Art is shit.
I could top it, I bet, if my statues were not only on rooftops but aiming various firearms at the crowd below. Now that would be fun.
All they have to do is report to the police where the statues are placed, so resources are not wasted.
That won't stop hundreds of people from calling police stations about what appears to be a person standing on the ledges of buildings.
That won’t stop hundreds of people from calling police stations...
True, but it will prevent cops from being sent on runs to non-existent suicide attempts.
“That won’t stop hundreds of people from calling police stations...” should have been in quotes or italicized because it is what I said.
In any case, what if an actual leaper decides to choose a building where one of these idiotic statues are?
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