Teen arrested for sneaking to top of WTC

A teenager evaded security in the middle of the night and managed to climb to the top of the new World Trade Center tower in New York, authorities said Thursday.

The 16-year-old was arrested Sunday at 6:00 am (1000 GMT) and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass, said Joe Pentagelo, a spokesman for the Port Authority, which owns the World Trade Center.

The teen, whose name has not been made public, said he climbed through a gap in the fence around the construction zone at One World Trade Center and then climbed a scaffolding to the sixth floor.

From there, he took the elevator to the 88th floor, where continued on the stairs up to the 104th floor at the top of the skyscraper.

The young daredevil then climbed a ladder to reach the antenna of the famous tower, which is being built on the site of the former Twin Towers, destroyed by the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Authorities confiscated the boy's cell phone and camera, Pentagelo said, adding he was freed Monday and will need to face a judge later.

The security guard posted to the 104th floor was apparently asleep when the boy slipped past him. He has since been fired.

The building, deemed to be the tallest US skyscraper once completed, will stand 1,776 feet (541 meters) tall and is slated to be inaugurated next year.
 

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