Police search for men who BASE jumped from Seattle Space Needle

Seattle police are searching for two men who climbed over the Space Needle’s glass wall, flipped over the edge and parachuted from the 605-foot landmark in Seattle. Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard said the pair faces trespassing charges after the unauthorized jump.

The men bought tickets and entered the Space Needle at about 8:50 p.m. Friday before making the descent, according to the details released by police. Space Needle officials said they are reviewing security footage and assisting Seattle police after video appeared to show the illegal stunt.

The breach drew attention because it happened at one of the city’s most recognizable public attractions, a structure that opened in 1962 for the Seattle World’s Fair at Seattle Center. Company facts say the tower cost $4.5 million to build, took about 400 days to construct and used 5,600 tons of concrete in its foundation. Those details now sit beside a more modern vulnerability: two visitors with admission tickets were able to reach the observation area, get over the glass barrier and jump.

The Space Needle has been the site of unauthorized BASE jumping attempts before. One widely noted incident involved Jessica Kluetmeier in November 1997, when she was taken to Harborview Medical Center after that jump did not go as planned. The latest case adds to that history and raises the stakes for landmark operators that must balance open access, tourism and security at high-profile sites.

Video of the jump is the sort of footage that can spread quickly and invite copycats, a risk that can force museums, towers and arenas to spend more on surveillance, staffing and barriers after a single breach. For the Space Needle, the immediate questions are how the men got past the glass wall, how they were able to carry out the jump after entering with tickets, and what changes, if any, the landmark will have to make to keep another daredevil stunt from following the same route.