Police have charged a New Yorker with trespass and criminal mischief after he launched himself into the 20ft ‘central void’ of the 9/11 reflecting pool.
Jeffrey Hernandez, 33, was taken to hospital with a leg injury after initially hurling himself 30ft into the basin of the NYC memorial.
Horrifying video footage showed him lying prostrate and peering over the edge into the abyss before sliding himself forward and falling headfirst down to the bottom on Monday afternoon.
Hernandez had already sustained an injury after throwing himself the 30ft into the basin of the memorial in front of terrified onlookers. Video showed a gash on his head and the water filled with blood.
A NYPD spokesman confirmed that he had been charged after being assessed by medics ad Bellevue Hospital.
This is the horrifying moment Hernandez slid into the 20ft ‘central void’ of the 9/11 reflecting pool after hurling himself 30ft into the basin of the NYC memorial
They said: ‘On Monday, October 9, 2023 at approximately 1330 hours police officers responded to the North Pool at the World Trade Center within the confines of the 1 Precinct.
‘Upon arrival, it was discovered that a 33-year-old male jumped into the North pool.
‘The male was taken into custody at the scene. EMS responded and transported the male to NYC Health & Hospitals/Bellevue in stable condition with a left leg injury. The investigation remains ongoing.’
The Fire Department quickly rushed to rescue the man from the central drop which is filled with around 18 inches of water. He reportedly told one of the officers he ‘did this for his father.’
Hernandez was rushed to a local hospital, complaining of ‘back pain’ and suffering from an injured leg. The area was reopened a short time later.
Officials received a call at 1.30pm on Monday to reports of a ‘jumper in the fountain’, with one person transported to Bellevue Hospital.
Following a mental evaluation the man could face trespassing charges.
It is unclear if anyone has thrown themselves into the reflection pools in the past, with police previously raising concerns over the potential issue.
Another piece of footage showed the jumper had already sustained an injury after throwing himself the 30ft into the basin of the memorial. A gash was visible on his head and the water through which he trudged to the edge was filled with blood
The man trudges over to the edge of the void as horrified onlookers watch and then lies down to peer over the edge
Officials received a call at 1.30pm on Monday to reports of a ‘jumper in the fountain’, with one person transported to Bellevue Hospital
Former Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said they had to consider the ‘possibilities’ someone might try to commit suicide in the monument.
Grief experts also claimed the memorial could set off a ‘negative psychological reaction’, especially those who have a direct connection to atrocities.
Officials at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum said that a physical landmark for a tragedy is a ‘trigger for grief’.
Kari F Watkins told the New York Times previously: ‘People come to these places and begin to understand the meaning of them.
‘We’re teaching lessons of remembrance and resilience, and no matter what people are going through in their personal lives, they can relate to some story that is told here.’
The New York Police Department and the 9/11 Memorial did not immediately respond to a request for comment by DailyMail.com.
Before the reflection pools were constructed, counterterrorism issued concerns that the sites could be an attraction for terrorist activity.
Glenn P. Corbett, an associate professor of fire science at John Jay College, said: ‘Our big worry several years ago, in the original design, was terrorism, and now we add suicide to the equation.
‘I think it’s going to happen — a suicide. I think it is an unbelievably emotional site.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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