The ironworker who helped build the new World Trade Center tower and then leaped off its roof in a daring BASE jump says all that time spent working on the building only contributed to his urge to seek the thrill.
"I'm working on this building. What do I want to do? I want to jump off," James Brady told the New York Post for a story published Monday.
Brady, 32, and two other extreme-skydiving enthusiasts were arrested last month for the September stunt, along with a man police say kept watch on the ground.
Helmet cam video of the Sept. 30 leap was posted to YouTube in March, just as the group was facing charges including burglary, trespassing and reckless endangerment.
Brady told the Post he worked for nearly five years on building the 1,776-foot tower, including installing a beam signed by President Barack Obama.
Brady said he has completed about 700 skydives and BASE jumps.
U.S. & World
"Working on heights and dealing with fear -- I thrive on those things," he said.
Brady said the jump was "just the realest moment you can experience."
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said the men "placed themselves, as well as others, in danger."
The arrest of the jumpers came just as a teenage boy was also arrested for sneaking into the site and going up to the roof of the tower. Days later, CNN producers were arrested trying to get into the site, and just last week, sources say a man with a backpack walked past a security guard into an area where he was not authorized to be.
