And now, to close out your Friday afternoon, here's a story that is guaranteed to make you say "HOLY FUCK": the New York Police Department announced today that a piece of landing gear from one of the planes used in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has been discovered in Lower Manhattan.
FOX New York reports that the piece was found wedged between two buildings in the back of 51 Park Place and the rear of 50 Murray Street, just a few blocks from Ground Zero.
Police spokesman Paul Browne said surveyors hired by the property owners of 51 Park Place discovered the part on Wednesday while checking out the rear of the building. Those surveyors called then called police, Browne said.
In the picture above, you can see the part above, as well as the buildings it was wedged between. It apparently has a visible Boeing ID number on it.
From the FOX story:
"The NYPD is securing the location as it would a crime scene, documenting it photographically and restricting access until the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner completes its health and safety evaluation protocol, after which a decision will be made concerning sifting the soil for possible human remains," Browne said in a statement. "The aircraft part will not be removed until the process is completed, at which point it will secured by the NYPD Property Clerk."
NBC New York notes that the part is about five feet long and it remains stuck between the two buildings. Removing it may require demolition work that could destroy the surrounding buildings. They also note that in the years since the attacks, other debris — including human remains — have been found scattered across the former World Trade Center site.
Crazy. Absolutely crazy. We'll update this as we get more on it.
Photos credit NYPD