Three to five percent of all people live with acrophobia, the fear of heights. It is one of the most common phobias listed just after the fear of public speaking. Meanwhile, 19-year-old daredevil Justin Casquejo of New Jersey seems to be quite fond of them. Casquejo was once busted for breaking into the World Trade Center. Despite concerns, he continues to climb tall structures and post about them on social media. He has a following of over 43 thousand people on Instagram, where he lists his goals: to spread love, create art that inspires and make deep human connections. He has managed to get past highly secured areas, including one with four guards. Although he has faced possible charges of misdemeanor trespassing, others point out that lax security was the problem, not him. From his latest updates, it looks like we can expect to see more of Casquejo waving from such great heights. Find more details below.Justin Casquejo, a 19-year-old from Weehawken, New Jersey, is living that dream. At 16, he snuck past security and onto the top of one of the most famous buildings in the world.
At the time, Casquejo was able to slip past a sleeping guard, who has since been fired, and through a hole in a Ground Zero fence at 4 a.m. one Sunday morning. From there, he took an elevator to the top of the tower, thanks to an oblivious operator. The WTC was under construction at the time. He was eventually caught but after apologizing to the judge, he was given 30 days of community service and counseling, a mere slap on the wrist.
He has checked off skyscrapers in Times Square, Columbus Circle, and others near the Empire State Building and the George Washington Bridge. He calls himself “limitless” on Instagram.
After the World Trade Center incident, Justin’s father expressed disappointment. He did not have a lot to say except that he hoped his son had learned his lesson and was worried for him. At the same time, one of his neighbors said, “He wants to go to Dubai to do it.” No matter what they had to say, they viewed him as unstoppable. A classmate said she thought it was “cool” and saw no problem with his extreme stunts. But police have been keeping a close tab on him.
He’s sitting at the top, holding nothing for support. In one hand, he holds a selfie stick. He can be heard saying, “You guys have no idea how beautiful this is.”
In a recent post on Medium, he writes, “Choice is a skill that must be practiced in the moment and cannot be predetermined or automated.” “Every choice gives us an opportunity to decide who we want to be in the moment,” he continues. “The amalgam of these choices ultimately shapes our lives as a whole.
Their goal is to raise at least $25,000 through Kickstarter. If they’re able to reach their goal, they will travel throughout the U.S. and produce dozens of short films for supporters. If they reach $50,000, they will take their stunts to Hong Kong, Istanbul and Dubai.
