When the scaffold of their rig snapped, Juan Lizama, 41, and 33-year-old Juan Lopez were 69 stories above Lowe Manhattan, and they were left hanging there for more than an hour.
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The new tower opened last week, 13 years after the original World Trade Center’s were destroyed, and quickly drew attention from the crowds below and people in nearby offices.
Immediately onlookers tweeted pictures of the men left hanging, as fight fighters rushed to rescue them.
At first they were reluctant to cut through the glass of the building, as the pressure from the high attitude could cause the glass to shatter.
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So not to injure anybody working in the building, rescuers chose a floor that is not inhabited. Cutting through the thick glass on the 68th floor, one fight fighter had to lean out and steady the rig while guiding the men to safety.
Lt. Billy Ryan, who was working in the rescue team, told US reporters: “The workers were calm. They knew they were in a bad spot. They knew we were going to help them. They understood what was going on, and they were not panicked.
“They were crouched, one sort of a bit more elevated than the other, on the scaffolding.”