Tourist tells of ‘this-cannot-be-it type of moment’ during Willis Tower incident BY JON SEIDEL, FRAN SPIELMAN AND JORDAN OWEN Staff Reporters 
 
 One of the glass enclosures known as The Ledge that sticks out of Willis Tower appeared to crack under the feet of a California family. | NBC Chicago photo 
 
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 Glass cracking against his palms. 
 
 Blood rushing through his body. 
 
 A “free-fall feeling” — 103 stories in the air. 
 
 That’s how Alejandro Garibay of California described his unforgettable moment inside one of the four glass enclosures at Willis Tower known as The Ledge. They are designed, under normal circumstances, to give thrill-seeking tourists the rush of hovering 1,353 feet above the city. 
 
 But while taking a photo with family about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, Garibay said he saw — and felt — the glass underneath him cracking. His “this-cannot-be-it type of moment” led to the entire attraction’s closure Thursday. 
 
 “We were just thinking this glass is about to go,” Garibay said. 
 
 The family bolted off The Ledge, he said, fearing for their lives. But Willis Tower spokesman Bill Utter said the cracking they felt was simply a scratch-resistant layer on the glass “doing what it’s designed to.” It did not affect the structural integrity of the box, he said. 
 
 “Occasionally this happens, but that’s because we designed it this way,” Utter said. 
 
 By Thursday evening, three of the four Ledge platforms had reopened. The one in the northwest corner of Willis Tower remained closed — but officials said it would open Friday morning after workers replaced the cracked layer of glass that protects three half-inch thick layers that can withstand 10,000 pounds. 
 
 Workers made the repair in front of TV cameras. But earlier in the day, when people came to inspect the Ledge, building employees pushed back curious tourists trying to get a look at the cracks. 
 
 Asked why The Ledge was closed, one worker said she didn’t know. Another simply said it was “unavailable.” Visitors Pete and Loni Garza said they were told it was being cleaned. 
 
 Utter said the layer has cracked before. Generally, he said, a visitor has something sharp in a pocket or hand that shatters the protective layer, although Utter did not know what prompted the cracks Wednesday night. 
 
 Heather Rost of St. Louis was pleased Willis officials decided to temporarily close all four Ledge platforms. 
 
 “I think they should close and then . . . inspect all of them and re inforce or something, personally, after a crack,” Rost said. 
 
 But Aaron Plantilla and his girlfriend, Charlene Crisostomo of Tinley Park, were mad they couldn’t go out on The Ledge — even after hearing what happened to Garibay. 
 
 “I don’t care,” Plantilla said. “I still want to go there.” 
 
 Buildings Commissioner Felicia Davis said she dispatched inspectors to the Willis Tower on Thursday to inspect both the structure and the glass. 
 
 She also reviewed the inspection records that culminated in the original permit to build The Ledge after what Davis called “extensive engineering and structural studies” on the building itself and the materials to be used. 
 
 “The public was never at risk. The integrity of the structure was never compromised. There is this additional layer on top that is intended to take the scrapes and scratches from routine use by the public. That coating on the glass cracked,” Davis said. “The management team has been in communication with me and they’ve been very cooperative.” 
 
 Davis said she won’t know what caused the cracks until the management company that runs Willis Tower completes its investigation. 
 
 Although Twitter photos of the cracks look frightening, Davis emphasized that she is “not concerned” about either the integrity of the structure or the risk to the public. The Ledge was closed, she said, only “out of extreme caution.” 
 
 Even as news of the alleged “cracks” spread — tourists could be heard talking openly about them on the Willis Tower Skydeck — several visitors echoed Plantilla’s indifference to them. Kay Chen, of Taiwan, said she works for an airline. 
 
 “I don’t fear anything,” she said. 
 
 And Kirsten Flodstrom, a fourth-grade teacher from Champaign who helped bring about 70 children on a field trip to Chicago and up to the Skydeck, said she wasn’t worried, either. 
 
 “I trust the architecture,” Flodstrom said. 
 
 Heidi and Hal Shute, of South Carolina, visited with their two small children — a 2 1/2-year-old and an 8-month-old — and their nanny, Jenna Brown. 
 
 Brown’s and Heidi Shute’s eyes went wide when they heard what happened to Garibay. They said they might still go out on The Ledge. 
 
 It was a different story for the kids. 
 
 “No ‘probably’ about it,” Heidi Shute said. “They will not be going on that Ledge.” ||||| Visitors who braved the Willis Tower’s Skydeck got quite a surprise when they stepped out onto The Ledge. They thought it was cracking under them, 103 stories above the ground. Turns out it was just the protective coating, but they didn’t know that at the time. NBC 5’s Michelle Relerford spoke with them about their hair-raising experience. (Published Thursday, May 29, 2014) 
 
 All four boxes of The Ledge, the 103rd floor tourist attraction atop Chicago's Willis Tower, were closed Thursday morning for what an official said was a routine inspection. 
 
 The move comes hours after cracks appeared in what the official said was a coating designed to prevent scratches on the glass. 
 
 "Skydeck Chicago is open today while the protective coating is being replaced," said Brian Rehme, a spokesman for public relations firm FleishmanHillard. "We have temporarily closed the four Ledge boxes for routine inspection we hope to reopen them shortly." 
 
 The coating was replaced Thursday afternoon. Rehme insisted the structural integrity of The Ledge boxes were sound. 
 
 Breakdancing on the Ledge 
 
 Some people won't even brave stepping out on the Ledge, but one guy clearly moves to the beat of his own drum. (Published Tuesday, July 28, 2009) 
 
 Alejandro Garibay, his brother, and two cousins were in the glass enclosure that juts out of the west side of the building shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday when Garibay said they heard cracking. 
 
 "Crazy feeling and experience," Garibay wrote in an email to NBC Chicago. 
 
 Rehme said the visitors were never in any danger. 
 
 "This coating does not affect the structural integrity of The Ledge in any way. Occasionally, the coating will crack, as it is designed to in order to protect the surface of the glass," Rehme said in a statement. 
 
 Take a Peek Over "The Ledge" 
 
 The new Sears Tower SkyDeck installation lets visitors stand on a sheet of glass 103 stories above Chicago 's busy streets. (Published Tuesday, July 28, 2009) 
 
 Still, it was a frightening experience for the family members visiting from California. Garibay said he and others were joking with staff about the strength of the boxes even before his group walked out into one of the boxes. 
 
 "They jokingly and confidently responded, 'It's unbreakable,' so we just went on," said Garibay. 
 
 While he and his family members were on the Ledge, Garibay said he heard cracking. They stepped off and alerted staffers. 
 
 "I walked them over so they could see and they were totally shocked and asked us to step away and then proceeded to start calling staff and techs and I don't know who else. When we pulled our phones to start recording and take pictures they asked us to leave right away," he said. 
 
 When the tourist experience opened in 2009, engineers said the boxes were composed of three layers of glass each about one half-inch thick. They were built to hold five tons, officials said. 
 
 Another tourist attraction at the John Hancock Center, called Tilt, opened to visitors earlier this month. 
 
 
 

– Perhaps the Windy City is tired of pesky tourists, because it scared the bejeezus out of a few last night: As NBC Chicago reports, Alejandro Garibay and three members of his family stepped out on "the Ledge" at the Willis Tower—four glass balconies on the 103rd floor Skydeck that jut out four feet, allowing visitors to look down 1,353 feet through a glass floor that can allegedly hold five tons—when they heard a cracking sound and saw the glass floor cracking beneath their feet. Garibay says they scooted off the balcony and called workers. "They were totally shocked and asked us to step away and then proceeded to start calling staff and techs and I don't know who else," says Garibay. "When we pulled our phones to start recording and take pictures they asked us to leave right away." Tower officials say it's no big deal and in fact the glass was doing what it was supposed to do: "Occasionally this happens, but that’s because we designed it this way," says a rep. "Whatever happened last night is a result of the protective coating doing what it’s designed to." He says that it was that top coating that cracked, and not anything structural; regardless, the Chicago Sun-Times notes that one of the ledges was indeed roped off this morning, its floor covered with carpet. Over at Gizmodo, Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan runs down why it really wasn't a big deal, noting that the top layer of safety glass is called safety glass "because it stays intact, even when it shatters."