NYC’s dapper rooftop-hopping daredevil downplays fearless video: ‘I was just doing my job’

The dapper daredevil seen leaping from dormer to dormer on the roof of a historic Manhattan high-rise mentioned the made-for-the-movies stunt was all in a day’s work.

Joe Smizaski, the director of operations for the Monetary District constructing at 90 West St., instructed The Put up he was astonished the video of him in a swimsuit and tie leaping between window dormers close to the highest of the 304-foot constructing Tuesday went viral.

“I used to be shocked once I noticed the video,” the New Jersey contractor mentioned. “I’ve been doing this for 42 years and I’m simply stunned persons are simply making a giant deal about it.”

To him, the death-defying feat was only a routine activity — and a superbly secure one at that.

“I used to be simply doing my job on the finish of the day and get to go dwelling secure to my children as a result of I do know what I’m doing,” Smizaski, a father of three, mentioned.

Joe Smizaski mentioned he was simply doing his job as he leapt from dormer to dormer a whole lot of ft from the bottom.

Smizaski, 60, climbed onto the roof via a window on the twenty third ground to take a look at a resident’s leaky skylight as the town obtained pounded with rain for the fourth day in a row.

He hopped over the gaps between the landmark constructing’s dormers with no protecting line or tools.

The residential constructing is sort of the identical peak because the Statue of Liberty, however Smizaski mentioned the daring jumps have been completely secure — including that a buildings division inspector went up there with him earlier within the day.

“[The building inspector] didn’t have any security, I didn’t have any security… you possibly can’t have something on the roof,” Smizaski mentioned. “It was secure for me, it was secure for him. It wasn’t as harmful as folks suppose.”

Smizaski agreed the video appeared like a stunt from a film scene.

Smizaski used no security tools whereas he moved across the roof to examine a resident’s leaky skylight.

The contractor, nonetheless, acknowledged that the footage of him dashing throughout the rooftop in a swimsuit appeared like a scene straight out of a 007 film.

“It simply appeared [dangerous] from this video as a result of it appeared like a stunt video,” he mentioned.

Smizaski mentioned he wears a swimsuit and tie so he seems to be respectable when assembly clientele of their “fancy, wealthy” flats. He mentioned he was dashing again throughout the dormers as a result of he felt raindrops whereas on the rooftop and wished to keep away from getting caught in a possible downpour.

“I knew what I used to be doing; I went at a fast tempo and it was effective,” he mentioned. “I don’t do something unsafe and I don’t let my males do something unsafe.”

Smizaski was shocked the video went viral, claiming that his rooftop inspection was completely secure.

Smizaski continues to be flabbergasted that the video of his rooftop stroll goes viral.

“Somebody mentioned they noticed it in China and the UK,” he mentioned. “It’s bizarre, man. It wasn’t that harmful.”

He did, nonetheless, get a kick out of a number of the feedback.

“I believed the funniest factor I learn was that I used to be dishonest on my spouse and my spouse caught me with my mistress and I used to be operating out the window,” he mentioned, including that his spouse has been lifeless since 2010 when she was killed in a home hearth.