NYC Window Washers Rescued From 42nd Floor

A window washer is rescued after his scaffold got stuck on the 40th floor of 1177 6th ave. Passers-by catch a glimpse. Click to enlarge.

NYC Firefighters rescue 2 window washers from scaffold: Duo pulled on 42nd floor of midtown high-rise. Two window washers were saved from the 42nd floor of a midtown high-rise on Wednesay after their scaffold got stuck, officials said. Firefighters from Rescue Co. 1 and Ladder Co. 4 arrived at the Sixth Ave. building near W. 46th St. about 10:20 a.m. to find the two workers stranded outside the building, officials said. A source said one of the two motors that operates the scaffolding had failed. “They couldn’t move up or down,” an FDNY spokesman said. The smoke eaters cut through a window on the 42nd floor to pull the workers to safety a short time later. No one was hurt. 

Window washers stuck on scaffolding outside Midtown building rescued: Two window washers who got stuck on a scaffolding outside of the 42nd floor of a Midtown Manhattan building were rescued today and taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition, according to a fire department source. One of the two motors on the scaffold, which move it up and down, failed, the source added, leaving the men stranded this morning. The scaffolding was then hanging at a 45-degree angle to 1177 6th Ave., according to the Fire Department. Roughly an hour after the incident was reported, the window washers were brought in through one of the building's windows, a fire department source said. The fire department cut through two panes of glass and extended a rope to the men. They also cut power to the scaffolding and secured the window washers. One firefighter also talked to the men, trying to calm them down.

One of the workers, who's believed to be in his 60s, has hypertension and was placed onto a stretcher and loaded into an ambulence after he was rescued. He was very scared, the FDNY said, telling firefighters that this was the third time something like this had happened to him. Neither of the workers suffered any physical injuries, the Fire Department said. Ken Milone, the chief engineer at a nearby building said, "I came out and I saw all the fire trucks and heard all the sirens. I looked up. I saw the scaffold dangling, and I knew there was trouble. This is the first time I've ever seen something like that." Another man, Louis, who was working on the 47th floor and refused to give his last name, said, "[One] guy was hooked off the scaffold. I hoped he wouldn't go."

Window Washers Rescued After Rig Breaks 42 Stories Up: Rescuers were able to pull two window washers to safety this morning after they became trapped on a broken scaffold high above Midtown. The New York City Fire Department says firefighters had to removed the glass from the 42nd floor window of 1177 Sixth Avenue and pulled the workers inside. Both men were uninjured. "They were kinda shaken. They were both smoking cigarettes and they were very fidgety, their hands were shaking. One guy - third time been stuck like that. He's been through it before but he was a little scared. He's 40 something flights above," said FDNY Firefighter Brian Loveridge. Fire officials say they used suction cups, high pressure tape and diamond blades to safely remove the glass.