Men who parachuted from the World Trade Center plead 'Not guilty'

NEW YORK, May 6 (UPI) -- The four men arrested for BASE jumping from the top of 1 World Trade Center tower last fall pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary, reckless endangerment and unauthorized jumping from a structure in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday.

On September 30 of last year, security cameras around the as-yet-unfinished WTC captured at least two black-suited, helmeted figures parachuting out of the darkness, landing, and disappearing into the night.

In March, James Brady, 32, Kyle Hartwell, 29, Marko Markovich, 27, and Andrew Rossig, 33, turned themselves in to local police last month. A 16-year-old boy and two CNN journalists were also arrested for trying to circumvent guards and surveillance—raising doubts about security at the site.

Attorneys representing the defendants, who are due back in court June 24, said they have filed a joint motion to have the felonious burglary charges dismissed.

“What they have done is tried to charge it as a burglary, claiming they unlawfully entered the building with the intent to commit a crime inside the building, which just from a legal standpoint BASE jumping by its very nature is committed outside a building," said Timothy Parlatore, Rossig's attorney.

Andrew Mancilla, a lawyer representing Brady, said they would argue for community service, "maybe even helping with security at the World Trade Center."

Rossig said he is planning to start a business selling parachutes to people in high-rise buildings, claiming the practice could prevent deaths like those that occurred during 9/11 when victims were trapped inside the towers.