103 Floors Up, Stockton Family Watches Willis Tower Ledge Crack Under Their Feet
STOCKTON (CBS13) — A family from Stockton may think twice before going up any more skyscrapers after their trip to Chicago seemed like it might include an unscheduled freefall.
Sitting on top of the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower, suspended over the city of Chicago, and all of a sudden your worst fear seems to be coming true—the supposedly safe glass ledge is starting to break right below your feet.
Seemingly hovering 1,300 feet high with nothing by the flickering lights of the Windy City below, the family from Stockton decided they were ready to go.
"We started standing up at the same time, and it was at that moment we start hearing the noise and start feeling the cracking of the class," said Antonio Saldana.
Stomachs churning, he says it took them a second to comprehend what was happening.
"You could see the glass just like a spider web immediately light up—shattered. Completely shattered," he said.
Alejandro Garibay felt he narrowly escaped death on his first visit to the building once known as Sears Tower.
"Jumped off, crawled off, anything we could to get off the ledge," he said.
But building officials say it looks worse than it really was.
"This coating does not affect the structural integrity of the ledge in any way. Occasionally the coating will crack, as it is designed, in order to protect the surface of the glass," they said in a statement.
Garibay is looking forward to coming back to the Central Valley where the buildings are a bit smaller. Despite still being a little shaken, he says he enjoyed his visit to Chicago.
"Up until that second, it was a very good experience," he said.
