Judge tosses indictment for parachutist

NEW YORK, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A New York judge threw out an indictment against a man who attempted to parachute from the Empire State Building.

Justice Michael Ambrecht ruled there are no legal grounds to prosecute Jeb Corliss since he is a professional parachute jumper with experience enough to avoid causing injury to himself or others, The New York Times reported.

"To hold that defendant's conduct rises to this level of blameworthiness is manifestly unjust and contrary to prevailing law," the state Supreme Court judge wrote in his decision.

Legal experts said the ruling could lead to further incidents.

"Well, as a New Yorker, I think I won't walk near the Empire State Building for a while," said Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University. "If you're as skilled as Corliss and you get a judge like Ambrecht, you may have a license to do this."

A lawyer for Corliss -- who has parachuted from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- said he "wouldn't be at all surprised" if his client made a second attempt to jump from the skyscraper.