This week WNBC is remembering a tragedy that occurred in the skies above New York Harbor fifty years ago. In 1960, two commercial airliners collided in midday fog, killing everyone on-board both planes. WNBC reporter Gabe Pressman sprung into action once he heard the news that day and WNBC is now featuring video of his emotional report on its website.
The crash sent one plane spiraling to the ground in Staten Island and the other smacking into the brownstones and pavement of Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood. Pressman reported from the tragic scene in Park Slope that day. “Sometimes, one story crams all the drama of life into a few hours. One story runs the gamut of every human emotion,” Pressman told viewers as he stood in front of the wreckage.
On Thursday, Pressman posted his account of the story on the WNBC website. His day started at Macy’s, where he was filing a cheerful report about a group of underprivileged kids who were given the chance to shop for Christmas gifts. A member of WNBC’s news desk reached Pressman on a Macy’s phone and the trajectory of his day immediately changed.