A group of teens were ticketed after allegedly scaling to the top of one of the shuttered towers left behind after the 1964 World's Fair in Queens, park officials say.
Patrol officers at Flushing Meadows Park cited four teens for trespassing Tuesday after they allegedly found the 16- and 17-year-olds in one of the three New York State Pavilion towers, which are closed to the public.
“These acts of trespassing go beyond simple rule breaking -- the towers are not suitable for access and they are locked as a matter of public safety,” said Dorothy Lewandowski, the Queens Parks commissioner. “We are grateful to the Parks Enforcement Patrol officers who ensured that everyone got down from the towers safely.”
Before finding the teens, park officials say the officers noticed signs of trespassing near the towers. They also found that a tower door had been clipped and heard voices coming from atop the stairs.
The city Parks Department says that new locks have been installed on the tower doors, and they've installed a new chain link fence around the aging landmark. They are also looking into installing further security measures near the towers.
