NJ.com, 2-April-2014
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The Weehawken teenager who dodged security and managed to climb to the top of One World Trade Center appeared in court on Wednesday.
Justin Casquejo, 16, was in a Manhattan courtroom today to face charges after climbing to the top of the 1,776-foot tall building on March 16, reported ABC Eyewitness News.
Casquejo now faces possible jail time after prosecutors additionally charged him with BASE jumping, which is related to climbing a building or hanging from a building, according to the report. The new charge is punishable by up to one year in jail, Eyewitness News reported.
According to the Associated Press, Judge Felicia Mennin said Casquejo will be assessed in a program for youthful offenders.
Casquejo was originally charged with a third-degree criminal trespass and one count of trespass. The criminal trespass charge is a misdemeanor punished by up to three months in jail, while simple trespass carries a sentence of up to 15 days in jail.
Casquejo was ordered to return to court on April 30, according to the article.
Casquejo posted an apology on his Twitter feed, @JustinCasquejo, on March 21.
"I seriously apologize to anyone who may have been insulted or felt disrespected by my actions. It was not my intention to do so," Casquejo tweeted.
Around 4 a.m. on March 16, Casquejo slipped through an opening in the barbed-wire fence around the tallest building in New York City and then wasn't questioned by a union elevator operator as he took a ride up to the 88th floor.
Casquejo next walked up a set of stairs to the 104th floor, where he encountered a sleeping security guard.
The Weehawken teenager then was able to gain access to the roof and climbed the building's antenna, where he spent two hours hanging out and taking pictures.
A construction worker caught Casquejo on his way out of the building.
