Jared Cooper was simply cleaning windows in Alabama. Per WKRG, Cooper found himself dangling more than 450 feet in the air from a ledge while cleaning the windows of the RSA Tower. Representing the Squeegee Squad, it was Cooper's first time cleaning the massive tower. "I had a feeling something was going to happen last night, so I wasn't too sure," Cooper told the publication.
Cooper's initial reaction to the terrifying event speaks for itself. "It's a 50-50 shot. ... So, it was going to lock or not, and when it locked, I was okay, well, here we go. So just another day. Should have seen it coming."
Just. Another. Day. We should all aspire to be as composed under such dire circumstances! Even in mid-air, Cooper thought to call his mother to let her know what was going on. Charlotte Hopkins, his mother, would comment on the absolutely insane phone call she received. "He calls me a lot from work, and he said, 'Hey, mom, I'm stuck here on the ledge, and I'm just hanging out here, you know, waiting until to see if will be able to get me down.'"
Eventually, the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department shows up to help Cooper. Captain Robert Brown lowered himself down to retrieve Cooper, safely leading them both to an open window.
"I was pretty high up, you know?" Brown said. "But during the moment, I really wasn't thinking about the height or whatever. I was just, job needed to be done. You know, we have the skill set and the equipment to do it, so we want to get it done."
An Alabama Window Washer Calmly Dangles From A Skyscraper
"We haven't had many problems with our equipment," Cooper assured. "We've noticed a couple of things that we were trying to get replaced and haven't had the chance to."
Hopkins, however, said something that shed a necessary light on Cooper's cool disposition. "Jared has always been kind of a daredevil, and he always is. It's a high-risk job. He's like, sign me up. I'm very thankful for the fire department today, though. They were the rescuers. And I'm really proud of how quickly they reacted and how they took care of him." Couldn't. Be. Me.
