Firefighters rescue teenage boy hanging from crane 36 stories above Jerusalem

Emergency services rescued a teenage boy from a crane in Jerusalem Monday morning, after he was found on a small platform hanging from the crane’s hook hundreds of meters above the ground.

The crane, at the entrance to Jerusalem, is located near the same unfinished 36-floor skyscraper from which a young man fell to his death during a mass Haredi anti-draft protest in October.

The boy, thought to be 15 years old, was presumed to have climbed the structure at around midnight and remained there for an estimated nine hours before being rescued. He was suspended some 300 meters above the ground.

It is unclear why he climbed the crane, though officials’ initial estimate was that it was not a suicide attempt. According to a Channel 13 news report, the boy told authorities he wanted to “see the view” from the crane.

The teen was pictured without shoes, sitting on a narrow flat surface just above the spot where a payload is typically attached to the crane’s cable.

Rescuers climbed the crane and lowered a first responder down on a pulley so that he could reach the boy, who was then fitted with a helmet and harness as he was lowered to the ground.

נער חרדי בן 15 טיפס על עגורן בגובה 36 קומות בכניסה לירושלים. במבצע מורכב, צוות כבאות והצלה חילץ אותו עכשיו. זה אותו הבניין שממנו צעיר קפץ אל מותו בהפגנת החרדים נגד הגיוס.
חייבים לשים סוף למעשה הקונדס המסוכן הזה שהפך לרווח בקרב בני ישיבות pic.twitter.com/1h6xEgHOll

— Inbar Twizer ענבר טויזר (@inbartvizer) November 24, 2025

“This is a very complex rescue, both due to the great height and the challenging and problematic angle at which the crane is positioned,” Shai Nehemiah, the Fire and Rescue Service’s commander at the scene, said before the boy’s rescue.

“The firefighters are acting with judgment and professionalism to build a rope system that will allow safe access to the teenager and his rescue.”

The teen was brought down safely and transferred to medical services for on-site treatment, the Fire and Rescue Service later announced, adding that he was believed to be in good condition.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service later said the teen suffered light abrasions and was dehydrated after spending hours trapped on the platform. Paramedics brought him to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem for further treatment.