Seattle Police Hunt 2 Men Who Parachuted From 605-Foot Space Needle

Q: With a witness claiming a landing on a nearby hotel, how did these daring parachutists vanish into the Seattle night?

They most likely disappeared because the jump itself was planned as an escape, and police never established a confirmed landing point in time to intercept them. Seattle police say the men bought tickets, appeared to scout the observation deck, changed in a restroom, then jumped from the north-facing side of the Space Needle at about 9:20 p.m. Videos circulating online show both men clearing the deck and deploying parachutes, but officers and Space Needle security said they did not know where the pair came down. A witness account reported by KIRO 7 said one jumper may have landed on the nearby Hyatt hotel across the street. Another video reportedly showed the second landing near Seattle Center, close to the crowded Bite of Seattle festival. If those accounts are accurate, both locations would have offered quick cover: a hotel roof or building access on one side, and a dense event crowd on the other. That helps explain how they vanished. BASE jumpers typically carry compact gear, land fast, shed helmets or parachutes quickly, and move before police can set a perimeter. Officers were responding after the jump, not waiting at a known landing zone, and security guards could not direct them to one. As of Saturday night, police had not publicly confirmed where either man landed or whether either had been identified. The working explanation is not that they disappeared mysteriously, but that they landed in places that allowed an immediate getaway before authorities could track them.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 26

Two men are being sought after they bought tickets, reached the Space Needle observation deck and parachuted from the 605-foot tower Friday night.
Security guards told Seattle police the pair entered just before 9 p.m., went into a restroom and came out wearing helmets before running at a north-facing glass wall, vaulting over it and backflipping off the ledge.
Police have not identified the suspects, described as white men in their late 20s, and said each could face a misdemeanor criminal-trespassing charge; it remains unclear where they landed.
The jump was captured on video by visitors and appears to be a rare breach at the landmark, where Detective Brian Pritchard said unplanned jumps are uncommon.