Justin Casquejo is an American free solo climber and

stunt performer A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

who has scaled several skyscrapers in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, as well as a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

in his hometown,

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a Township (New Jersey), township in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the North River ...

. He has been arrested, charged, and convicted for some of his activities. Others have been brought to light through his publication on social media, such as

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and

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One World Trade Center

In March 2014, Casquejo climbed to the top of the

topped-out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a Builders' rites, builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony ...

, but not yet completed, One World Trade Center. Casquejo, then 16 years old, entered the site through a hole in a fence. He was subsequently arrested on

trespass Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding ...

ing charges. He allegedly dressed like a construction worker, snuck in, and convinced an elevator operator to lift him to the tower's 88th floor, according to news sources. He then used stairways to get to the 104th floor, walked past a sleeping security guard, and climbed up a ladder to get to the antenna, where he took pictures for two hours. The elevator operator was reassigned, and the guard was fired. It was then revealed that officials had failed to install security cameras in the tower, which facilitated Casquejo's entry to the site. In July 2014, in a plea agreement, Casquejo admitted to breaking a city misdemeanor law against scaling tall buildings without permission. He was sentenced to 23 days of service (which he completed with an extra six days). He submitted, as was required, a 1,200-word essay explaining what he had learned from the episode.

Weehawken Water Tower

In September 2014, Casquejo was again arrested for scaling the

Weehawken Water Tower The Hackensack Water Company Complex is a set of historic buildings in Weehawken, New Jersey, registered in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Hackensack Water Company, a predecessor of Suez North America, developed water supply an ...

. He was charged with defiant trespassing and resisting arrest.

70 Pine Street

On February 21, 2016, Casquejo was charged with misdemeanor BASE jumping and trespassing for climbing above the roof at

70 Pine Street 70 Pine Street – formerly known as the 60 Wall Tower, Cities Service Building, and American International Building – is a 67-story, 952-foot (290 m) residential building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Bu ...

, an , 67-story luxury apartment in the Financial District. He avoided jail time in the sentencing on September 6, 2017, after pleading guilty to BASE jumping. He was granted youthful offender status; the case will eventually be

sealed Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

Paramount Tower

In June 2017, Casquejo was arrested at the Paramount, a 52-story residential skyscraper on East 39th Street in

Turtle Bay, Manhattan Turtle Bay is a neighborhood in New York City, on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. It extends from roughly 43rd Street to 53rd Streets, and eastward from Lexington Avenue to the East River's western branch (facing Roosevelt Island).Giner, V ...

. In September 2017 Casquejo pleaded guilty to second-degree trespass in exchange for three years' probation for scaling the luxury apartment building.

Unapprehended climbs

In addition to those situations where he has been apprehended, Casquejo has posted images of climbing the George Washington Bridge and buildings near

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

Columbus Circle Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South ( West 59th Street), and Central Park West, at the so ...

, and the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...

. He has a large following on

and

220 Central Park South

In November 2016 Casquejo hung from a

construction crane A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It is mainly used for lifting heavy objects and transpor ...

at the not-yet-completed

220 Central Park South 220 Central Park South is a residential skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, situated along Billionaires' Row on the south side of Central Park South between Broadway and Seventh Avenue. 220 Central Park South was designed by Rob ...

Other climbs and arrests

Despite his probation Casquejo made other climbs. for which he was arrested.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Casquejo, Justin 1998 births Living people American stunt performers People from Weehawken, New Jersey