FINANCIAL DISTRICT — Two window washers caught dangling hundreds of feet in the air on a malfunctioning scaffold outside the 68th floor of One World Trade Center were pulled to safety through a broken window by rescue workers after 90 minutes, officials said.
The two men, Juan Lopez and Juan Lizama of Upgrade Service window washing, suffered mild hypothermia but did not appear to be otherwise injured after they became trapped on the south side of the tower about 12:45 p.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
Rescuers, who had been training for this type of rescue, lowered ropes down midway from the roof of the 1,776-foot tower to secure the men as they chatted with firefighters and police via two-way radio, fire officials said.
First-responders eventually cut through several panels of glass at the 68th floor window and pulled the workers back inside about 2:15 p.m., officials said.
The window washers were also trained on what to do in this type of emergency.
"[Lopez and Lizama] knew what to do. They're highly trained. They know how to secure themselves. These guys are like the most trained guys in New York City," said a colleague at their company who declined to give his name.
The FDNY tweeted a photo of firefighters standing on the floor level with the scaffold, preparing to make the rescue.
Investigators are trying to determine what caused the malfunction.
Various agencies were helping with the rescue including the Port Authority and NYPD, officials said.
