Suspects remain unidentified after leaping from observation deck
The Seattle Police Department said the two men purchased tickets and entered the Space Needle at about 8:50 p.m. Friday. The observation deck, a round platform surrounded by high glass windows open to the sky, sits 605 feet above the ground.
Security cameras captured the pair at the top level of the structure before they went into a restroom, according to police. They emerged wearing helmets, ran to the glass window, climbed over to the outside, and jumped.
A report provided by Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard said the jumpers face trespassing charges.
Security personnel at the Space Needle were unsure where the men landed, and responding officers could not locate them, according to police. The suspects have not been identified by authorities and were described only as white men in their late 20s.
BASE jumping is an extreme sport that involves jumping off fixed objects and deploying a parachute. The acronym refers to the types of platforms parachutists leap from: buildings, antennas, spans (bridges), and Earth.
The Space Needle did not immediately return emailed requests for comment on Saturday.