A man targeted in an FBI raid kicked out the window of his 31st-floor Midtown Manhattan luxury skyscraper apartment and threatened to jump Wednesday morning — with a crowd watching the high-rise standoff from the street below.
Mayor Adams arrived on the scene later in the afternoon, ducking under the crime scene tape to meet up with law enforcement as the standoff continued.
Federal investigators executed the search warrant inside a condominium in the 70-story CitySpire building on W. 56th St. near Seventh Ave. about 8:30 a.m., cops said.
But once they stepped inside, a 35-year-old man shattered a glass window, sat on the window ledge with his legs dangling near the shards, and threatened to jump.
The man, wearing black socks, black pants and a black shirt, was half-hanging out the window. Hours later, a helicopter circled the neighborhood as the standoff continued and police placed a large airbag on the street below.
He eventually re-entered the apartment in the afternoon but remained barricaded inside.
“Of course I’m shocked,” said a neighbor. “I didn’t know I lived next door to a criminal. He was always alone … Usually we don’t talk. I just see him coming and going.”
A man visiting his sister, who lives on the 40th floor, said he left to grab a coffee and croissant at a nearby bakery and returned to find the building in lockdown. People inside were told to stay in their homes while people arriving at the high-rise were not allowed to enter.
“To me, it’s the stupidest thing you can do,” said the visitor. “If it’s true what they say, he’s a con man. He shouldn’t have done the crime. If you do the crime, do the time.”
The FBI called the NYPD and Emergency Services Unit officers were dispatched to convince the man to surrender, police said, with an ESU team initiating a dialogue with the resident.
“I think if he’s lasted so long, hopefully he won’t jump,” said the man visiting his sister.