Men Spotted On Ledge Of InterContinental Hotel Taking Pictures

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An astonishing and potentially dangerous scene unfolded downtown on Tuesday when two men were spotted taking pictures outside on a ledge high atop a Michigan Avenue hotel.

The photos, which were posted on Facebook, show one of the men standing on the edge of the InterContinental Hotel, 505 North Michigan Ave., shooting images of the street below. Ice or snow is visible next to him.

The men appear to be dressed in street clothes, although it was unclear whether they were affiliated with the hotel.

The images were shot from a nearby Michigan Avenue building at nearly the same height.

When CBS 2 contacted the hotel desk, hotel management was not immediately aware of the incident. The two men also did not appear to be wearing any type of safety harness or other equipment.

In December 2012, a young man trying to take pictures atop the same hotel died after falling into a smokestack.

Fire crews cut a hole in the chimney about 42 stories above Michigan Avenue, before freeing the 23-year-old and taking him to the hospital.

The victim, Nicholas Wieme, was dining near the hotel when he decided to go to the top of the hotel to check out the smokestack. He may have gotten access to the roof though a restricted hospitality suite located near the top of the building.

When Wieme got to the top of the chimney, he thought he had stepped on a ledge, but fell and suffered several burns.