Shocking footage from the World Trade Center memorial in Manhattan showed a man climbing into the north reflecting pool where he had a serious fall.
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The 33-year-old man injured his leg and back during the incident and was taken to hospital with criminal charges for trespassing pending, police said.
The memorial's two reflecting pools mark where the World Trade Centers' Twin Towers once stood.
The pools have a tiered design with water falling into a basin nine metres below and a "central void" extending a further six metres into the ground.
Thousands of victims from the 2001 and 1993 attacks on the World Trade Center are memorialised in bronze around the pools.
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The man was described as "emotionally disturbed" by a Port Authority spokesperson.
Weldon Stites, a tourist who witnessed the scene just before 1.30pm on October 9, said "I just pray that he's still OK".
"I'm curious to know why."