NEW YORK – It’s been dubbed the “Empire State Building Effect." And now questions are being raised as to whether the famous skyscraper may really be Manhattan’s version of the Bermuda Triangle.
Every day about 10-15 cars and trucks simply stop working within a 5-block radius of the 102-story building, according to a report in the New York Daily News.
In one recent incident, a person said he had to lock his vehicle manually because the keyless remote-controlled lock was disabled. He came back to find he was locked out and had to call a car service which used a crowbar to get the door open, the Daily News writes.
The alleged “effect” dissipates rapidly as you move away from the building. “You pull the car four or five blocks to the west or east and the car starts right up,” says Isaac Leviev, manager of Citywide Towing, in the Daily News report.
According to the Daily News, some engineers and automobile experts hypothesize that radio signals from the Empire State Building’s 203-foot-long, antenna-laden spire is at the root of the problem.
However, the FCC says it has not received any complaints and Empire State Building officials have shot down the claims.
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