George Willig: Daredevil Hero and Vandal

Yesterday marked 32 years to the day that George Willig aka “the human fly” ascended the South Tower (WTC 2). Using custom climbing gear, it took the Queens resident about 3.5 hours to reach the top where he was immediately arrested by the NYPD, leading us to wonder: when did he have the opportunity to tag his name on a rooftop beam? The city ended up fining him $1.10 (one penny for every story), but never buffed the high altitude graffiti which remained visible until the building was destroyed.

Photos by Maksimal