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If Jeb Corliss jumped off a bridge, would you?
Jeb Corliss, a thirty-year-old professional stunt-jumper, tried to parachute off the Empire State Building last spring. But instead of notching another jump onto his belt (he’s got about 3,000 successful jumps to date), he found himself being prosecuted for first-degree reckless endangerment, a charge that caries a sentence of up to seven years in the clink.
The charge of first-degree reckless endangerment requires a showing that Corliss had a “depraved indifference” to the fact that his actions risked the lives of bystanders. However, Justice Michael Ambrecht said that there was no such depravity here because of Corliss’ experience and because of the preparations he took to ensure little risk to general public safety. For example, Corliss was sure to carefully plan things before the jump, including factoring in the wind conditions and even taking traffic-light patterns into account (to ensure he wouldn’t smack onto a moving car). So the charges have been dismissed and Corliss is free to jump again.
The cops and prosecutors were pissed with this outcome. A police spokesman asked “What if his chute didn’t open? He could have killed others along with himself.” And a DA spokeswoman added that the city still thinks it’s reckless to jump off the Empire State Building. But nevertheless, something tells me that Corliss will try again - when asked if he’d try another Empire State Building plummet, he said “No comment!”
(Hat tip to The Legal Reader)
