Psychiatric patient gets past security at America’s tallest building
Photo by Glenn Harper
A resident of a facility for psychiatric patients got past security guards at the Willis Tower and made his way to the 102nd floor before he was tracked down and held for police.
The 42-year-old man was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass and released on his own recognizance after he followed an employee through a turnstile and got into an elevator, said Police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak. The man has no prior arrest record, she said.
The incident happened about 4:35 p.m. on May 16.
A spokesman for the Willis Tower said in a statement released to the media that the man was spotted by security in a freight elevator and was in the building for 16 minutes. He went up to the 102nd floor and on his way down was arrested on the 32nd floor, the statement said…
“At Willis Tower, safety is our utmost priority,” the statement said. “We are aware that an individual entered the building on Monday, May 16. Through our security systems and procedures, we were able to track and detain this individual within 16 minutes.”
That he was under psychiatric care and still able to get past security either says something about the quality of that security – or maybe the fact that he doesn’t need a heckuva lot of care.
Good thing he wasn’t suicidal, eh?
