Two window washers were dramatically rescued on Tuesday as they dangled from the 46th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper after their scaffolding collapsed.
The workers were trapped 500 feet in the air for more than an hour as police and fire crews worked to rescue them. after their scaffolding appeared to have practically bent in half.
One of two window washers rescued from a collapsed scaffolding on the side of the 600-foot Hearst building in midtown Manhattan steps through an opening in a glass to safety
A New York Police Department spokesman said police had worked to cut open a window on the 44th floor of the Hearst Tower to pull the men to safety.
Life continues on the street below the 600-foot high Hearst skyscraper in midtown Manhattan as firefighters rescue two maintenance workers whose scaffolding collapsed near the top of the building in New York
Roads were closed around 57th Street and Eighth Avenue was shut down for traffic as hoards gathered to watch the daring rescue.
Fire department officials say workers cut open windows on the 44th floor and pulled the men inside to safety
The two workers identified by NBC New York sources as Victor Carabello, 26, of the Bronx, and Stephen Schmidt, 49, of Brooklyn were "fine and in good spirits," according to Moses Nelson, a New York paramedic.