The Window Cleaner of the World Trade Center
Roko Camaj, 60, was a hero when the World Trade Center was first attacked–in 1993. When a bomb sent smoke pluming throughout the towers on that occasion, Roko covered his mouth with a sponge so he could breathe, then helped a woman trapped in a stairwell to safety. A window cleaner, Roko loved his work–delighted in hanging at breathless heights over New York City. He was once featured in a series of children’s books on dangerous occupations titled “Risky Business.”
The Window Cleaner of the World Trade Center (2001)
RTL Nieuws New York
Working Atop the World
Roko Camaj had a job few would envy: window washer at the World Trade Center. Several times a year, suspended 1,300 feet above earth, he and his partner would suds up the 107th floor windows, the highest windows on the building and too wide for the building’s automated window-washing system.
The rest of the year, he operated the machines that crawled down the side of the buildings. ”He wasn’t scared of anything,” said his brother, Kole Camaj. ”He had no fear.” For years, Roko’s wife thought he washed only window interiors, until she saw a newspaper account of his job. When she learned the truth, Kole Camaj said, she was furious. Roko would remind her how safe his job was, that the basket and his harness were both well tethered to the building. His son, Vincent, said his father loved his job and considered it an escape. ”He’d always say, ‘It was me and the sky up here. I bother no one, and no one bothers me.’ ”
Last Monday, Roko, 60, an Albanian immigrant, returned home from a vacation to Montenegro, a birthday present from his daughter. All five Camaj brothers, most of them scattered around the globe, had taken the voyage together. ”It was a great pleasure,” Kole Camaj said. ”Everyone was so happy.”
Many people in our world face the unique demands of special careers. The “Risky Business” series gives you an up-close-and-personal profile of people who do things most of us would never dream of doing. As you read about them, you’ll find out what worries them and what excites them about their jobs. You’ll also learn how each person trained to become an expert in his or her field. Meet Roko Camaj on top of New York’s tallest building—the World Trade Center. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2117775.Window_Washer
The Window Cleaner of the World Trade Center
Roko Camaj, 60, was a hero when the World Trade Center was first attacked–in 1993. When a bomb sent smoke pluming throughout the towers on that occasion, Roko covered his mouth with a sponge so he could breathe, then helped a woman trapped in a stairwell to safety. A window cleaner, Roko loved his work–delighted in hanging at breathless heights over New York City. He was once featured in a series of children’s books on dangerous occupations titled “Risky Business.”
The Window Cleaner of the World Trade Center (2001)
RTL Nieuws New York
Working Atop the World
Roko Camaj had a job few would envy: window washer at the World Trade Center. Several times a year, suspended 1,300 feet above earth, he and his partner would suds up the 107th floor windows, the highest windows on the building and too wide for the building’s automated window-washing system.
The rest of the year, he operated the machines that crawled down the side of the buildings. ”He wasn’t scared of anything,” said his brother, Kole Camaj. ”He had no fear.” For years, Roko’s wife thought he washed only window interiors, until she saw a newspaper account of his job. When she learned the truth, Kole Camaj said, she was furious. Roko would remind her how safe his job was, that the basket and his harness were both well tethered to the building. His son, Vincent, said his father loved his job and considered it an escape. ”He’d always say, ‘It was me and the sky up here. I bother no one, and no one bothers me.’ ”
Last Monday, Roko, 60, an Albanian immigrant, returned home from a vacation to Montenegro, a birthday present from his daughter. All five Camaj brothers, most of them scattered around the globe, had taken the voyage together. ”It was a great pleasure,” Kole Camaj said. ”Everyone was so happy.”
Many people in our world face the unique demands of special careers. The “Risky Business” series gives you an up-close-and-personal profile of people who do things most of us would never dream of doing. As you read about them, you’ll find out what worries them and what excites them about their jobs. You’ll also learn how each person trained to become an expert in his or her field. Meet Roko Camaj on top of New York’s tallest building—the World Trade Center. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2117775.Window_Washer
The Window Cleaner of the
World Trade Center
The Window Cleaner of the World Trade Center
Roko Camaj, 60, was a hero when the World Trade Center was first attacked–in 1993. When a bomb sent smoke pluming throughout the towers on that occasion, Roko covered his mouth with a sponge so he could breathe, then helped a woman trapped in a stairwell to safety. A window cleaner, Roko loved his work–delighted in hanging at breathless heights over New York City. He was once featured in a series of children’s books on dangerous occupations titled “Risky Business.”
Many people in our world face the unique demands of special careers. The “Risky Business” series gives you an up-close-and-personal profile of people who do things most of us would never dream of doing. As you read about them, you’ll find out what worries them and what excites them about their jobs. You’ll also learn how each person trained to become an expert in his or her field. Meet Roko Camaj on top of New York’s tallest building—the World Trade Center.
goodreads.com/bookshowWindowWasher
Dutch correspondent Max Westerman met Roko Camaj in 1999. He proudly told him about his job as window cleaner of the World Trade Center. On September 11, 2001, Roko was located on the 105th floor of the south tower when a plane flew into the building.
The Window Cleaner of the World Trade Center (2001)
RTL Nieuws New York
Working Atop the World
The rest of the year, he operated the machines that crawled down the side of the buildings. ”He wasn’t scared of anything,” said his brother, Kole Camaj. ”He had no fear.” For years, Roko’s wife thought he washed only window interiors, until she saw a newspaper account of his job. When she learned the truth, Kole Camaj said, she was furious. Roko would remind her how safe his job was, that the basket and his harness were both well tethered to the building. His son, Vincent, said his father loved his job and considered it an escape. ”He’d always say, ‘It was me and the sky up here. I bother no one, and no one bothers me.’ ”
Last Monday, Roko, 60, an Albanian immigrant, returned home from a vacation to Montenegro, a birthday present from his daughter. All five Camaj brothers, most of them scattered around the globe, had taken the voyage together. ”It was a great pleasure,” Kole Camaj said. ”Everyone was so happy.”
Syracuse Post Standard on Nov. 5, 2001.
