A FIL-AM teenager from New Jersey who managed to slip through the security of the World Trade Center in New York, was sentenced last September 3.
Sixteen-year-old Justin Casquejo was sentenced by Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Felicia Menin to 23 days of community service. This was in a plea agreement made last July, when the teen pleaded guilty to breaking a city misdemeanor law against scaling tall buildings without permission. Casquejo has already completed his 23 days — with an additional of six days — and two sessions of youth counseling. Declining to speak during his sentencing, Judge Menin said that the teen had explained in an essay what he learned from his stunt.
“The court is impressed by your sincerity, remorsefulness and willingness to accept responsibility for your conduct,” Judge Felicia Menin said.
On March 16, around 4am, Casquejo reportedly slipped through a small hole in a construction fence at the World Trade Center, snuck past inattentive security, climbed up stairs and through scaffolding, and spent over an hour on the tower’s roof taking photos, before he was caught heading back down by another guard.
The teen daredevil—who was dressed as a construction worker, according to police—climbed all the way up to the antenna of the 1,776-ft skyscraper, which has been in development since early 2006 and is currently the tallest building in the nation, built to replace the original twin towers destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks.
He has then since apologized for the extreme stunt. He considers himself a “parkourist” and a daredevil.
Casquejo’s stunt came about a week before news of three men, who snuck onto the roof of the tower and parachuted down last September, were arrested by authorities. The men are currently facing charges, including felony burglary, and are negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors.
Both incidents have sparked concern about the lack of surveillance at the One World Trade Center. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has since made major changes to the building’s security system and guards, including hiring a new company to handle patrol at entrances.
“I seriously apologize to anyone who may have been insulted or felt disrespected by my actions. It was not my intention to do so,” Casquejo tweeted earlier in March.
(With reports from Associated Press and CBS News)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(Las Vegas September 4-10, 2014 Sec. A pg.1)