Skip To Main Content

by Ayana Willoughby (8th)

Published April 26, 2023 8:00pm EST

This Thursday, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. publicly announced that it is no longer in ownership of the Empire State Building after losing the rights to the property in a court case that took place in February.

A group of birthday party clowns surprised LinkedIn employee, Jim Sanders, as the elevator doors opened on the thirteenth floor.

Sanders suffered a heart attack, but his life was saved by the clowns who had him rushed to NYU Langone Health following a 911 call.

911 Operator, Sarah Scott recounts taking the call in an interview with ABC News.

“I heard these people talking in a sort of comical tone, and one shouted ‘Stop it!’ and I’m just trying to get as much information out of them as possible. And suddenly, they’re all telling me a man has fainted in an elevator.”

Miraculously, Sanders recovered from the heart attack as soon as he reached the hospital, reportedly leaving his bed and walking out after he awoke.

Sanders was still mailed a lengthy bill, to which he contacted Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., asking them to cover the cost of the charges. Sanders filed a lawsuit against them after they refused to pay.

The court ruled in Sanders’ favor, citing premises liability as the reason the company was obligated to compensate him.

They agreed to give up the rights to the Empire State Building, and Sanders says he has been in touch with contractors concerning his plans to permanently remove the thirteenth floor.

New York residents and businesses alike have expressed their disapproval of the demolition, stating that it will interfere with tourism and regular operations.

“No significant disruptions in sales will happen,” Sanders wrote in his latest Tweet in response to the recent backlash. “I know personally. Nearly got my degree in economics.”

According to esbnyc.com, the project is expected to take between six and ten years.

The Artichoke reached out to the clowns for additional comment. They declined the request.

***