Man 'leaps' off Empire State Building and lands on observation deck is talked down from 85th floor ledge Man was preparing to jump from Empire State Building just before midnight He had already leaped one floor down from observation deck Onlooker said: 'He was in his own world, like he was lost' Security guards at the Empire State Building saved the a man's life by carefully talking him down from the edge of the 85th floor. Horrified tourists watched the man seemingly preparing himself to jump to his death in New York City on Wednesday night. It was just before midnight when security guards spotted him and calmly talked him into re-entering the building safely. Rescue: A man was talked down from the Empire State Building's 85th floor in New York Two tourists who were taking in the iconic skyscraper looked up to see the man dangerously close to the edge of the building. Argentinians Luis Ariel Jofre and Julieta Paola Barambones said they saw the man, who looked as though he had already fallen one story from the observation deck, swing his legs into the air as if he meant to drop again. Mr Jofre, 29, told the NY Daily News: 'He was in his own world, like he was lost. He was calm looking down, like it was nothing, but it was 80 stories high. Observation deck: The man had already jumped down from the iconic skyscraper's viewing area when he was found by security guards Security guards talked the man off the ledge, said Jofre, who added, 'We're relieved that he didn't die.' The man broke his ankle when he fell from the observation deck, and was taken to hospital. He now faces a trespassing charge.