A dramatic high-rise rescue is unfolding in Midtown as cops and firefighters scramble to save two window washers trapped on a broken scaffold atop the 46-story Hearst Tower.
Firefighters and NYPD emergency service unit officers are stationed on the roof and in nearby floors of the building at 57th Street and Eighth Avenue attempting to reach the workers who are stranded on a scaffold that folded at its center.
NYPD’s emergency services unit workers have removed windows on the 44th floor of the building and are planning to bring the workers in through the open space, according to police sources. Harnesses have been attached to the workers on the scaffolding.
A law enforcement official said the scaffolding, which appears folded in at the center as it hangs in the air, is designed to bend that way but it failed to lock properly straight across.
Portions of 57th and 58th streets and Eighth Avenue are closed off to traffic as the first responders work above.
h/t – WNYC
