Early today, a duo decided to take an illicit leap from a crane at the new City Hall construction site in downtown Raleigh. Jason McClure, 51, and Jorge Chacon, 37, have been charged with first-degree trespassing and resisting a public officer after the stunt. ABC11 reports that the Raleigh Police Department was alerted to the trespass at around 2:00 a.m. and found the men at the crane's summit, ready to jump.
The situation escalated when the two, equipped with parachutes, ignored police instructions to descend and instead jumped off the crane. They landed safely on a top parking deck of City Hall. According to The News & Observer, it is unclear how the men accessed the construction site, but the incident did not result in any injuries.
Following their arrest, McClure and Chacon were booked into the Wake County Detention Center, with bail set at $2,000 secured, as court records indicate. WRAL confirms that the police have since continued their investigations into the incident but have released no further details regarding the motives or methods behind the men's actions.
The Christmas Eve crane jump has caught local attention, raising questions about security measures at construction sites and the lengths to which individuals might go for an adrenaline rush. "Shortly after, the two jumped off the crane and onto the top parking deck of City Hall," a news release stated, as The News & Observer. This incident comes as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of urban adventurism and the risks associated with unauthorized access to construction sites.
