Window Cleaners Rescued in Manhattan

Two window washers were hoisted to safety after their scaffolding collapsed near the top of an Upper West Side building Wednesday morning, officials said. Firefighters tossed ropes from the roof of the seven-story office building at about 8 a.m. to reach Jesus Ayala, 45, and his 46-year-old colleague, Robert Kauffman, after failed attempts to grab the dangling pair from the windows, which do not open, officials said. "I was scared at first," said a shaken Ayala. "But we tried to stay calm. We tried not to panic."

Battalion Chief Nick Corrada said firefighters expected the scaffolding to plummet to West End Ave. at any moment. "It could have dropped anytime," he said. "We had to get them off of there fast." Responders threw lines down to the workers that attached to their safety harnesses and pulled them to safety. "I just prayed and tried not to panic," Ayala said. "We're very grateful."

The 15-year squeegee vet said it wasn't the first time he'd been left hanging hundreds of feet in the air, and that he was rescued from a similar disaster just a few years ago. The two workers embraced the rescuers that pulled them to safety. "Thanks for saving our lives," Kauffman told firefighters as soon as his feet touched the roof. Some witnesses thought the scene looked more like a movie shoot. "It was a spectacle," said Marsha Dunlap, 33. "It was like something out of 'Spider Man.' You kept waiting for someone to fly in and help." It was not immediately clear what caused the platform to collapse.

Three Window Washers Rescued From Two Manhattan Skyscrapers: Mishaps at two Manhattan high-rises, one at Rockefeller Center and the other at ABC Radio studios on the Upper West Side, left three window washers in need of rescuing Wednesday morning. Two workers were trapped after their scaffolding came loose and tilted between the sixth and seventh floors of ABC Radio's studios on West 66th Street at West End Avenue.

"A little nervous, but we can't panic. We just have to wait for everybody to take care of it," one of the workers, Jesus Ayala, told NY1. He was trapped with Robert Kaufmann, the station said.

Firefighters had a hard time reaching the men because of how high up they were. "Bringing them in through the windows, the fixed windows weren't an option. They were so high up, we couldn't get them with our ladders, so at that point we had to come up with a high-angle rescue option," said Fire Captain Kevin Harrison of Ladder 35, according to NY1.

Eventually, firefighters used ropes to hoist the men to safety, NY1 reported. Earlier, a window washer was left clinging to a ledge at 75 Rockefeller Center after the window he was cleaning closed, trapping him for almost 20 minutes, the FDNY said. Police and fire fighters managed to pry the window open and get him back inside. The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital on a stretcher, officials at the scene said, but an FDNY spokesman said there were no injuries in the incident.

Firefighters rescued two window washers who became stuck in scaffolding in Manhattan's Upper West Side this morning. Jesus Ayala and Robert Kaufmann became stuck in the uneven scaffolding outside 125 West End by West 65th Street. After an effort of more than an hour, firefighters dropped down ropes and helped pull the men safely up to the roof. "A little nervous, but we can't panic. We just have to wait for everybody to take care of it," said Ayala. "I could tell that they were a little nervous, being off-level like that at such a height," said Fire Captain Kevin Harrison of Ladder 35. "We went though a couple different options to try and rescue these people. Bring them in through the windows, the fixed windows weren't an option. They were so high up, we couldn't get them with our ladders, so at that point we had to come up with a high-angle rescue option." The incident is under investigation.