Window-Washers Rescued From High Up On 5th Avenue Skyscraper

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Two workers were rescued after getting stuck on a window-washing platform that hung precariously more than 40 stories above Fifth Avenue Friday morning, according to authorities and video.

The men found themselves stranded on a scaffold at 712 Fifth Ave., a 650-foot-tall building on West 56th Street, shortly after 8 a.m., NYPD spokesperson said.

The scaffold, whose motor apparently malfunctioned, was dangling from the 42nd floor of the 50-story building, according to police and a complaint submitted to the Department of Buildings.

Video posted to the Citizen app showed the platform dipping toward the street.

Firefighters ran up to the 42nd floor while other crewmembers went to the building's roof to check the platform's lines and motors, FDNY battalion chief Robert Meuser told reporters. Eventually, firefighters cut a hole in the glass and pulled the workers inside the building.

"It was a smooth operation, members worked efficiently," Meuser said, adding that the rescue had been aided by aerial footage.

Incredibly, both workers remained calm through the entire rescue, FDNY Lieutenant John McCann said.

"They were probably the calmest people on the scene," McCann said. "They work on these 300 days a year, so that's kind of their comfort zone."

Both men declined medical treatment after being rescued, an NYPD spokesperson said.

Authorities shut down West 56th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues while the rescue was underway, a local precinct tweeted about 8:45 a.m.

This breaking news story will be updated.