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SALT LAKE CITY -- Salt Lake City police say public tips generated by surveillance photos have helped them identify the two people who BASE jumped off the LDS Church Office Building Friday evening. They have matched driver license photos with surveillance images of the two parachutists. At KSL, we think we've also figured out the identity of one of the BASE jumpers.
Some people consider jumping from that big building a daring and very cool thing, but to police this is no laughing matter. KSL has decided not to reveal the man's identity until he's charged or until he admits it to us.
Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Shawn Josephson, said, "This is a dangerous act. And not only is it dangerous to them, it's dangerous to the community. And we're very concerned about that, and we don't want that to happen."
Police promise to get to the bottom of Friday's incident at Utah's second-tallest building, as soon as they get around to assigning a detective, probably Tuesday. It's not an emergency, they say.
A cell-phone picture captured one parachutist on the way down. Surveillance images of the two BASE jumpers before the stunt stirred up some tips. That enabled police to zero in on two Utah men they haven't publicly named, yet.
"There were individuals who did recognize them and called in," Josephson said.
Police haven't even contacted the two men yet; but in Utah County, several people told us they recognized one of the jumpers. The man they fingered previously lived in Alpine, now in Lehi. Neighbors and friends describe him as an adventurous thrill-seeker who may have been behind an earlier incident closer to home.
Alpine resident Jerry Foess said, "Well, last summer, a fellow came out of the sky in a parachute and landed in that field across from our house. He just scooped up his parachute and walked away."
If he was the man who stepped off the top of the Church Office Building, it seems more amusing than disturbing to his friends and neighbors.
A neighbor said, "I just have to laugh because I think there's a lot worse things. Of course it's probably not the safest thing, but I have no idea if it's him. I have no idea. But, we'll see. Hah, hah."
Police say if they get the evidence, they'll turn it over to the prosecutors to screen possible misdemeanor charges.
"From the information we have, trespassing obviously, and then we talked about disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace or something to that order, because it is causing an issue for the community," Josephson said.
Police are not commenting on how the pair gained access to the building's observation tower. An LDS Church spokesman is deferring comment on the case to police.
The man in Utah County has not returned our calls, so we haven't had a chance to ask him if he did it, as some of his neighbors seem to think.
Story compiled with contributions from Marc Giauque and John Hollenhorst
