Vallone Bill Could Land Daredevil Jumpers in Jail
Daredevils who parachute from tall buildings could land in jail if a bill introduced by Council Member Peter Vallone Jr. of Queens becomes law.
Mr. Vallone said he wrote the bill in response to the city's unsuccessful legal fight against Jeb Corliss, a professional jumper who in 2006 attempted to parachute from the Empire State Building, only to be stopped by security guards, who handcuffed him to the observatory deck's rail. Although Mr. Corliss was charged with reckless endangerment, a judge dismissed the charges, writing that the defendant was sufficiently trained to jump and had taken enough precautions to ensure the safety of others.
Since then, the Empire State Building Co. has reportedly sued him for $12 million for endangering bystanders, only to be countersued by Mr. Corliss for $30 million for defamation and causing emotional distress.
Mr. Vallone said in an interview he is attempting "to protect citizens from being landed on." The legislation would outlaw climbing and jumping off any structure taller than 25 feet and punish offenders with up to a year of imprisonment and $1,000 in fines.
A lawyer representing Mr. Corliss, Mark Heller, disagreed with Mr. Vallone's assertion that his client's behavior is dangerous.
"When a person like Jeb Corliss jumps off one of these landmarks, as this legislation is concerned about, there is no danger to the jumper or the people below because he is a skilled, trained athlete," Mr. Heller said. "He studied the jump for a substantial amount of time. He knew what the traffic light timings were, he knew what the wind conditions were, and he knew he would not be endangering himself or anyone else."
He added that Mr. Corliss was "exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression" when he attempted to leap from the city's tallest building.
New York City's skyscrapers have attracted aerodynamic adventures in the past. Parachutist Thor Axel Kappfjell jumped successfully from several city buildings, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the World Trade Center. Mr. Kappfjell served seven days of community service on reckless endangerment charges relating to his city jumps. He died in 1999 during a botched leap from a cliff in his native Norway.
"I don't know if it's a recurring problem, but one time is too many," Mr. Vallone said. "It could endanger the lives of the jumper and of the people on the street."
