First BASE jump from World Trade Center

[Guru312 0]

I just posted an autographed photo of Owen Quinn's jump off the World Trade Center South Tower:
[URL]http://berniesayers.com/Owen%20Quinn%20South%20Tower.htm[/URL]

After my friend sent me the picture I Googled Owen's name and found out that he made the jump to bring attention to the plight of the unemployed.

Can anyone comment on anything about his jump?

I found hundreds of pages about DB but very little about Owen.

Any stories to tell regarding the jump, the planning and execution and his punishment? How did he smuggle that rig into the building?

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[howardwhite 6]

If you follow the Wikipedia links you posted, you'll find a fairly long article -- post 9/11 -- with an interview.
Lots has been written about it.
One example, from "Parachuting's Unforgettable Jumps III" by Howard Gregory:
"After free-falling for 50 floors to make sure I had enough speed to pull the chute off my back, the people on the upper floors reported a suicide because they had seen a body go falling past their windows.. But the lower floors reported seeing a man in a parachute outside waving to them, which I was doing to those people who had their faces pressed against the windows of the Trade Center."
Attached is the same photo, autographed to Dan Poynter.
Mike Sergio, who took the picture, made a bandit demo into Shea Stadium during game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He was fined $500 and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
Attached is part of a newspaper story about that one.

HW

[airtwardo 7]

Mike Sergio, who took the picture, made a bandit demo into Shea Stadium during game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He was fined $500 and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

Quote

A 'stunt' which forced the commissioner of MLB to proclaim that there would NEVER be any kind of skydiving allowed at any major leauge baseball games EVER.

And for years there wasn't...



...always wanted to have a chance to thank ole Mike for all the great press he gave us.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[BillyVance 34]

Quote

Mike Sergio, who took the picture, made a bandit demo into Shea Stadium during game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He was fined $500 and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

Quote

A 'stunt' which forced the commissioner of MLB to proclaim that there would NEVER be any kind of skydiving allowed at any major leauge baseball games EVER.

And for years there wasn't...

...always wanted to have a chance to thank ole Mike for all the great press he gave us.

In what way?

But yeah, I hear ya. Out here in SEC country, there used to be demos done into conference football games, until some dumbass hooked and femured in at the Alabama-Miss State game some what, 10 years or so ago? There hasn't been another demo since in the SEC.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[murrays 0]

Quote

If you follow the Wikipedia links you posted, you'll find a fairly long article -- post 9/11 -- with an interview.
Lots has been written about it.
One example, from "Parachuting's Unforgettable Jumps III" by Howard Gregory:
"After free-falling for 50 floors to make sure I had enough speed to pull the chute off my back, the people on the upper floors reported a suicide because they had seen a body go falling past their windows.. But the lower floors reported seeing a man in a parachute outside waving to them, which I was doing to those people who had their faces pressed against the windows of the Trade Center."
Attached is the same photo, autographed to Dan Poynter.
Mike Sergio, who took the picture, made a bandit demo into Shea Stadium during game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He was fined $500 and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
Attached is part of a newspaper story about that one.

HW

I thought the judge's decision was brilliant:

Justice Flug achieved her "15 minutes of Andy Warholian fame" when she sentenced history's most over zealous Mets fan, Michael Sergio, for parachuting into Shea Stadium in the first inning of Game Six of the 1986 World Series (the Bill Buckner/Mookie Wilson ground ball game). While imposing a $500 fine and 100 hours of community service, Justice Flug upstaged the flamboyant trespasser with the following poem, (written with the assistance of Law Secretary Peter Kelly), which was printed in the New York Times, and the New York Law Journal, and, in advance of the big poetry contest, now in the Queens County Bar Bulletin:

'Twas Game Six of the Series when out of the sky,

Flew Sergio's parachute, a Met Banner held high

His goal was to spur our home team to success,

Burst Beantown's balloon claiming Sox were the best.

The fans and the players cheered all they did see

But not everyone present reacted with glee.

"Reckless endangerment!" the D.A. spoke stern.

"I recommend jail - there, a lesson he'd learn."

Though the act proved harmless, on the field he didn't belong,

His trespass was sheer folly and undeniably wrong.

But jail's not the answer in a case of this sort.

To balance the equities is the job of this court.

So a week before Christmas, here in the court,

I sentence defendant for interrupting a sport,

Community service, and a fine you will pay.

Happy holiday to all, and to all a good day.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[fastphil 0]

Quote

Mike Sergio, who took the picture, made a bandit demo into Shea Stadium during game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He was fined $500 and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

Quote

A 'stunt' which forced the commissioner of MLB to proclaim that there would NEVER be any kind of skydiving allowed at any major leauge baseball games EVER.

And for years there wasn't...



...always wanted to have a chance to thank ole Mike for all the great press he gave us.

And yet Phil Smith (Smitty) made not only a skydive, but a base jump, inside the Astrodome to open one of the Astro games. He wore the Astro's uniform and threw the ceremonial first pitch...

oops, getting off topic

[DavidB 0]

Joey D showed me that pic back in the later 80's. It was on the first page of the pic album he opened. I was (& still am) in awe. It's, IMHO, a beautiful picture. Didn't know it was in color, though, so thanx for the link!

Yes, I did think of this jump on 9/11. Matter of fact, at that time I was doing a job in Jersey City across the street from the train station. We were on site on 9/10, but were back in Trenton fabricating (curtain wall) on 9/11. Didn't get back on site for almost a month, & it sure looked strange not seeing the towers.

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

[Broke 0]

It is strange how this thread popped up now. I just did a search, because I saw this pic in the new to my Poynter Skydiver's Handbook 5th Ed

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[zoobrothertom 5]

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Joey D showed me that pic back in the later 80's. wall) on 9/11. Didn't get back on site for almost a month, & it sure looked strange not seeing the towers.

-----------------------------------------------
Would that have been Joey D. at Lakewood, NJ? In 82~83, they had the color version hanging on a wall somewhere. This is the first time I've seen it since then!

____________________________________
I'm back in the USA!!

[howardwhite 6]

Couple of other WTC BASE stories for you.
1. In November, 1977, Jim "Zoom" Campbell was arrested on the roof of the South Tower. (Some of you may have other memories of Zoom.)
2. On Sept. 13, 1980, an unidentified jumper successfully jumped off the WTC. (Partial story in two chunks so they'll upload.)

HW

[NickDG 23]

>>On Sept. 13, 1980, an unidentified jumper successfully jumped off the WTC.
I've never heard of anyone between Owen Quinn in 1975 and the fellow described below in the early 90s successfully doing the WTC. Howard, can you re-check those dates?

The photo below (and I think the guy you mean) was John Vincent. John was a PITA to the B.A.S.E. community in those days and you can search his name on the various B.A.S.E. forums to get that whole story.

This was John's 6th B.A.S.E. jump, after only 160 skydives. His first plan of sneaking his Centaurus skydiving rig passed security was stymied when he saw them searching people's bags. He then ordered a B.A.S.E. rig from a California manufacturer to wear under his clothing. The rig arrived already packed, and because he'd didn't know anything about B.A.S.E. rigs, or B.A.S.E. packing, he jumped it straight out of the box.

John did more than a few high profile jumps for personal publicity and he goes down in B.A.S.E. history as the first true Glory Hound.

NickD

[zoobrothertom 5]

I gottta ask. He went hand held off the WTC!? I know what the picture shows, but ...why?

____________________________________
I'm back in the USA!!

[JerryBaumchen 1,442]

Hi Nick,

I seem to remember some guy who jumped out of a plane, landed on the WTC and then jumped from it with his reserve.

Does that one mean anything to you?

JerryBaumchen

[howardwhite 6]

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Howard, can you re-check those dates?

The 1980 date comes directly from the New York Times clip I chopped up for posting. The clip is attached as a PDF; see the bottom of it.
HW

[NickDG 23]

>>I gottta ask. He went hand held off the WTC!? I know what the picture shows, but ...why?
Yes, it doesn't make sense in terms of today, but it sort of did back in 1992. Even at places like Bridge Day around that time the majority of experienced B.A.S.E. jumpers were still going hand held. In fact B.A.S.E. rigs of the time didn't even come with BOCs for stowing.

I was an early proponent of getting away from hand held and it was me that came up with, "If you can go, you can stow," but it didn't really become widespread until the late 90s.

On the person who jumped onto and off, I do recall hearing something about it, but don't think I ever heard all the details. And I'm not sure it was the WTC. Sometimes I think I'm just remembering "Drop Zone" or one of those movies from around that time. But I'll look into it.

BASE history was easier to recall when there was less of it . . .

NickD

[brokenwing 2]

how many pics did he sign?

first time i saw one of em was at Joe Smith's place

[NickDG 23]

I saw an interview that Marah Strauch did with Owen Quinn (she's the niece of the late B.A.S.E. jumper Mike Allen.) It was for the BASE history film she's currently doing. Qwen's a really neat guy who doesn't come off at all like the nutjob the media and state of NY painted him to be.

Her website is here:
http://www.scissorkickfilms.com/index2.html

NickD

[kimemerson 7]

I'm not sure about dates, but Mike McCarthy, a Brit, jumped it as did Van Rafuse. Both likely between Owen Quinn & Sergio and John Vincent. (I think I might have been John Vincent's JM for AFF at the Ranch. I know I worked with him and I think he may have had a BASE jump even before AFF. Not sure though.)

[wmw999 2,544]

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some guy who jumped out of a plane, landed on the WTC and then jumped from it with his reserve.

You might be thinking of Ken Swyer, who tried to do that to the St. Louis arch. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and he went in banging on the arch on the way down. Not a good thing.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[NickDG 23]

AFAIK Mike McCarthy and Alistair Boyd did the Empire State Building, not the WTC. And they static lined it too. And that ties into John Vincent going hand held off the WTC. The Brits are the ones who perfected static line BASE because of their lack of tall objects.

So when doing something high profile you bring your "A" game instead of trying something, or at least, something you aren't as familiar with . . .

And yes, I do now recall Van Refuse, I have something on him and I just have to find it. Also, I don't think you meant to make it seem so, but Mike Sergio didn't jump, he was only a henchman, what we call ground crew today . . . (Although he was on the roof).

NickD

[skypuppy 1]

Quote

Hi Nick,

I seem to remember some guy who jumped out of a plane, landed on the WTC and then jumped from it with his reserve.

Does that one mean anything to you?

JerryBaumchen

I recall in about 1980 to 82 or so seeing a film clip of a guy jumping from a plane and landing on a pylon of one of the bridges in New York, for some reason I'm thinking the George Washington Bridge, but I'm not familiar with new york bridges. I don't remember if he cutaway and jumped the reserve into the harbor or if he repacked on top and jumped jumped the main. That may have been the guy who later died as a passenger in a airplane doing aerobatics at an airshow in california (they weren't in the airshow, just flying around watching or something). I believe his name was on the list under base jumpers who died doing something else.

I have a great memory of watching the bridge jump on the news, it was shortly after I started jumping.

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[NickDG 23]

That was John Carter (sp?) . . .

NickD

[PeteS 0]

John Carta, and I think it was th Verrazano Narows Bridge. Too bad John Bowlin is not around to tell us more.........

[McGonigal 0]

He didnt use a hand held pilot chute, he used a regular spring loaded with ripcord and a readers digest as a kicker plate so nobody got hurt below

[BillyVance 34]

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He didnt use a hand held pilot chute, he used a regular spring loaded with ripcord and a readers digest as a kicker plate so nobody got hurt below

Uhhh.... I'm lost here.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban