On a wet and windy New York City day — an Emmy-winning cinematographer caught an only-in-New York moment.
In a scene reminiscent of an action movie, a man in business attire races across the dormers of 90 West Street in lower Manhattan — 23 floors above the ground. The person filming what happened described him as "an older dude wearing a suit," and the high drama high above the city has captivated viewers.
Well, NBC New York tracked down that mystery man in the Bronx. He's gotten a kick out of the comparisons to James Bond and Jason Bourne — as well as the theories about why he was running around and jumping through an apartment window.
"The guy got caught cheating on his wife and was running out the building," Joe Smizaski said with a laugh.
He never expected to go viral, but now, he's setting the record straight. Smizaski says that the high drama captured on camera is pretty ordinary for him. All in a day's work, in fact, saying he's done it 100 times at just that one building.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Smizaski is a director of operations for a water-proofing company. He was caught in action, making sure the job was done just right before a Department of Buildings inspector arrived.
"People have problems leaks, I'm a problem-solver. That’s what I do," Smizaski said.
He provided a look into what his view was like as he ran across the dormers. He said they are nice and wide, spaced about 18 inches apart — still no easy feat for most considering actual solid-footing from this vantage point is 9 foot drop below.
One of the city’s first skyscrapers, the West Street building boasts beautiful vistas—but nothing like the views Smizaski has taken in while on the job. His work has taken him to the top of the Empire State Building, seeing the city from a much different vantage point than most who take the elevator up.
But there is a limit to his fearlessness.
"I wanted to skydive, but I've never done it," the 60-year-old said, adding that he'll stick to his day job.
"I don’t anything unsafe. I want to go home to kids and family, that’s just the way I was brought up in the trade," Smizaski said.
