Magician’s rooftop pool water vanishes

The water in magician David Copperfield’s rooftop pool vanished. But this was no illusion! It actually flooded apartments as far down as 30 stories below his East 57th Street penthouse.

Copperfield, who was performing at the MGM in Las Vegas at the time, bought the 8,000-square foot penthouse at 117 E 57th St. for $7.4 million in 1997.

According to Copperfield’s attorney, a malfunctioning pump was to blame for the March 8th incident. He said the entire pool drained through Copperfield’s four-story apartment and others underneath it, soaking walls and floors. The pool will be refilled after steps are taken to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Copperfield’s apartment is loaded with valuable art and antiques. He was especially worried about his vintage arcade pieces from Coney Island, ranging from a fortune teller, strength testers, an electric shock machine and shooting galleries. He described the antiques as “irreplaceable” and “priceless.” Walls and floors were completely destroyed, but the arcade pieces were spared, and much of the artwork was salvageable.

Important safety note: be careful when building a swimming pool on the roof of a skyscraper.

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