Keeper of the Flame of the Statue of Liberty

For over 30 years, Charlie DeLeo has had the exclusive job of being Keeper of the Flame of the Statue of Liberty. He changes over 800 light bulbs in and around the statue including the torch.

[@davek6089]

My hands got sweaty hearing him talk about climbing the flame in socks and almost slipping off. This is a piece of 90’s nostalgia right here

[@bison2022]

I have had the honer of working on the torch. Part of my job as a ranger was to do bomb sweeps which included the torch. To give you an idea of getting up top, a 40+ ladder goes through two turns . One at the shoulder to the Elbow, then the elbow to the wrist. The ladder is only about 10 inches wide including two hand rails. You have to step over each foot, unlock three Gates and unlock the steel door at the base of the torch. No, anybody that's been up there works for the park service and there are very few at that. I'm very proud to have served during the bi centennial.

[@patrickmorrissey3084]

When did you stop working there? I work for the ferry company.

[@bison2022]

@@patrickmorrissey3084 I worked at the Statue In 1986. It was just for a year for the bi centennial. I was givin the flag that flew on the Miss Liberty when it was retired to destroy or keep being the only Nam Vet . I kept it ofcourse.

[@jaybossert6012]

Charlie was a nice guy. Worked with him there

[@humboldt777]

Unbelievable! Courageous man, on top of the flame! Scary, scary, scary!

[@WillieDines1]

Thank you for your service in keeping Liberty's Torch light bright, American and the freedom loving people of the world salutes you, sir.

[@sethj6483]

1:55 We will always miss the 2 Towers :( :( :(

[@cyclops9750]

Seth J it’s super eerie to look at the towers back there! Very scary knowing that a few years later they would come down on the city 😱😱 very scary to see them standing tall then the next time there were demolished on the ground

[@chrisd.3319]

@@cyclops9750 I was a 1st responder on 9/11 as well as the '93 bombing (NYPD). After seeing the damage in '93 I thought the WTC Twin Towers were virtually indestructible. Unfortunately I was wrong. I lost 5 close friends on 9/11 as well as over a dozen aquaintances & colleagues. A distaster so huge that anyone who lived in the Tri-State area knew at minimum one or two people that perished on that terrible day. I dream of my rescue & recovery work nearly every night.....

[@jimmoriarty6964]

Barad-dûr and orthanc?

[@Kari2025]

1:51 We will never see that iconic skyline again. The new trade center is gorgeous, but it'll never be the twin towers.

[@chrisd.3319]

Yes, it is a shame. I was a first responder on 9/11 as well as the WTC bombing in '93. I lost 5 personal friends (2 NYPD, 2 FDNY & 1 civilian) as well as almost 2 dozen aquaintances/colleagues. Some of whom were never recovered, that is sacred ground for me. The Twin Towers were beautiful and amazing. It was always a tradition when folks came to visit me to take them to climb the Statue Of Liberty then head over to WTC and have a cocktail & food at Windows On The World on the 107th floor of Tower One. I served 21 yrs with the NYPD and have been in many places in the towers that the average person (and employees too) had never seen!

[@tntexplosion3973]

NEVER

[@ItsjustollieALT]

Chris D. Wow. I never knew I would actually see a comment from a nine eleven hero. Thank you for all that you’ve done :)

[@Parkittaja]

You trolled me so badly

[@MrEric0576]

God bless you sir and thank you for your services.

[@bnkwupt]

Very cool! Nice to see some very rare footage of the arm and touch.

[@amandajeanlynn]

Nice Job Charlie! It was great to see you the other day! Glad to know you're still around the site keeping things going!

[@drummergirll]

Ive now seen the entire DVD, handed to me by Charlie Deleo himself! I met him last week, at last!. what a lovely man, and a fascinating one at that! The entrie film of this is well worth getting if you are any fan of the Lady :D

[@judyholiday1794]

I have been a fan of Lady Liberty ever since I was around 3 years old..I can remember glancing at our TV screen one evening and saw her in the Planet of the Apes movie..After that happened for some unknown reason I just became fascinated by her ..I knew more about the statue as a child than most adults so I was excited to watch this footage of Mr.Deleo changing her lights..What an amazing job to have and what an honor as well..

[@AvengerII]

'Unofficially,' I think members of the public HAVE been up in the torch since 1916. I don't know if my classmate was telling the truth or not, but he claimed that his big sister HAD snuck up into the torch... That must have been in the late 1970s/early 1980s before the restoration. I haven't talked to the guy in almost 30 years so I can't confirm this story but it did stick with me. As for me, I've only been up as far as the Crown like anybody else who climbed the stairways. It takes less time to use the stairs than to wait on the stupid elevator! I was maybe 9 or 10 when I climbed those stairs to the Crown.

[@randomtraveler9854]

No way his sister was up there, when I was in the crown two years ago the entrance to the arm was gated off and another video shows another gate is present near the bottom of the ladder. So to sneak up to the torch in the 70's when anyone could go to the crown you would have to break through two heavy gates with hundreds of people around, can't be done. Plus there would have been several serious felonies which would have resulted of her going to federal prison for several years.

[@Ajourneyofknowing]

Some people can gain special access to the torch balcony as it can handle that but the possible arm damage from the Black Tom explosion of 1916 may make the arm structure unstable to the mass amounts of visitors constantly forever.

[@Jessica-iq3id]

Mandela affect....lots of people remember actually going IN THE TORCH. No memorynof there being an attack on it either

[@patrickmorrissey3084]

@@Jessica-iq3id There was an ammunition depot in Liberty State Park right across from the statue that exploded in 1916 at the hands of a German saboteur. The statue recieved minor damage and as a result the torch has remained closed ever since.

[@patrickmorrissey3084]

@@Ajourneyofknowing No one is allowed up there other than the NPS maintenance workers.

[@ijnfleetadmiral]

Definitely NOT a job for someone with a fear of heights, but what a view, and what a Lady!

[@averageamerican8421]

Seeing the twin towers in the distance gave me chills

[@rogeralverez9297]

That was great, thanks

[@octagontowers4267]

I love his New York accent

[@techtinkerin]

That was awesome 😊

[@curmudgeonextraordinaire1884]

One of few honest answers on why the public isn’t allowed in the torch. Everyone else claims it’s because of an explosion on a nearby island over 80 years ago.

[@MrMaikiu]

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?

[@gabrielelijah812]

Ayo it's so cool !

[@jerrydatinguinoo1312]

i love new york perfect views

[@flydude2325]

I've learned that another reason why the torch closed in 1916 is because the Germans blew up a barge full of TNT in the harbor, damaging the torch. However I can understand why it remained closed since then.

[@dopenerd]

It’s History! brought me here from 2023.

[@accounttest1660]

Anyone 2020?

[@lunchparty7453]

Meeeee

[@jakerickards5820]

Hey

[@Nx553]

It'd be great to see updated footage that wasn't so grainy.

[@GreenFoxPerson]

I would love to go to the torch. :D then fall ._.

[@jessewoodward5310]

My flame though changed from glass to gold, now blazes out with brighter hope, To all that are on freedom's side, my golden flame burns deep inside, For Freedom costs an awful price, for millions paid with their dear lives, To keep alive the spark that lights, the sacred flame of freedom's light, My flame is fueled by cries and moans, by blood and tears and hearts that glow, By all who dare to hope and dream and fight to keep me standing free, They speak to me of woe and grief, of bonds and chains and agony, O' Liberty, sweet Liberty, I'll always stand on guard for thee Great God has placed me where I am, and fashioned me with wonderous care, He always hears my silent prayers, I have a soul, I care, I care . . . . -Charlie DeLeo "Keeper of the Flame" May 15, 1986

[@XGh0sT77]

1:51 Damn....

[@chugachuga9242]

What is this fever dream

[@jske60]

i guess you could say he keeps the flame LIT

[@manfromnantucket9544]

Jake Skehan 👏

[@psychoticstorm771]

i miss 2016

[@azndrumsticks]

I think they should have a Exclusive tour of Statue Of liberty that includes touring the torch and they could take pictures, just like how NASA charges for an exclusive tour. that is like 5 or 6 hours

[@baritonebynight]

I climbed to the crown right before 9/11 and asked one of the staff members if they had been to the torch. Yes. They said it wasn't for the faint of heart as it sways quite a bit in the wind. Even the staff rarely had a chance to go up.

[@patrickmorrissey3084]

Horrible idea. The idiot tourists can barely manage getting on and off the ferry boats.

[@drummergirll]

Wow - what an amazing job!!!!! if i had that job i know i would have died and gone to heaven!

[@Shrek_Now_go_away]

Hi

[@drummergirll]

@@Shrek_Now_go_away hey

[@Rich-yn6eo]

What's the name of that show?

[@randomtraveler9854]

They should allow the public into the torch, I heard when it was open 100 years ago they allowed 16 people at one time. Have them go up one at a time and give them 10 minutes each. They could make it work it they wanted to. They went on and on about how dangerous the crown was yet found a way and those aren't the safest steps either. People should be made aware of the risk of the ladder and given the right to choose to take that risk.

[@JRHGaming-ok1yw]

Yes but it is mainly dangerous because the whole arm is incapable of holding lots of people. With the amount of people that would want to go to the torch, it would be worn down and possibly could fall off.

[@areyoujelton]

People are too fat to climb that ladder now.

[@patrickmorrissey3084]

Horrible idea.

[@UltraWilly]

How is he not scared I would be

[@Frostified]

Because he is the keeper of the flame. :)

[@francismota5767]

2021

[@inasvids4747]

*I dont know these 2 towers in the background*

[@drallersouldust3054]

why they don't use Real Flame ?

[@jerseytomato100]

I remember a tv commercial (70s/80s)where a teen boy was standing on the torch, addressing the camera, which was filming from a circling helicopter. (What the ad was about, I can't recall.) Does anyone else recall this ad?

[@ronmangano9094]

It was an ed for conserving energy. He said don't be fuelish.

[@judyholiday1794]

I just shared this info on another KZbin channel..It was a TV commercial set in the 1970's ..I have tried to find the footage but so far I haven't had any luck ..The commercial starts with the boy climbing stairs and I believe he is talking about his father and then there is a close up of his face.. a few minutes later and the camera pans out and you then get the full on helicopter view and you see that he is standing on the catwalk of the torch..I cannot believe you remembered that and that I just shared about it 10 minutes ago with another KZbinr..I was probably 8 or 9 when this aired and I thought that the boy was just a kid as well but maybe he was a teenager..If anyone locates that footage please share it on KZbin that would be awesome to re watch it 40 years later ..

[@jamesvargas640]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpqwi5uIeNyWbtEsi=KKHo3Ku-gVLYvsWc

[@jamesvargas640]

Jersey, Ron & Judy I found the commercial you were talking about. I posted the link above.

[@samjbossdiaz3859]

Is he still alive ?

[@typerightseesight]

ive never been up there. to the torch. lol

[@matthewJ142]

No wonder you can't get to the torch. You think it's big but not that much. Seeing him on top of the flame, I'm not too afraid of heights but out in the open like that 😰

[@BezoRazo]

_"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor."_

[@gilbertoalvarez5170]

Keeper of the Flame

[@asura5819]

+pAze spOdoRmeN hey man its a year later

[@drummergirll]

i know right??

[@Engineer9736]

drummergirll I don’t know if you know right.

[@CK2012]

The ladder is only one way then there should reservations where only a very few go up at a time a great way to make extra money to keep the iconic statue maintained

[@crunchycrispybacon]

Is the host a young Jeremy Clarkson?

[@garystinten9339]

Gabriel S. No.. he was an Australian.

[@pbrsteve5974]

Fred Armisen?

[@joef1974]

Bullshit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got a key for the torch.

[@WWNerfman]

1:58 creepy picture of the twin towers

[@massfrog]

If they change the lights to LED. They could eliminate that job or just change it to seagull turd cleaner.

[@violentshemp7776]

right because LED's aren't super annoying or anything.

[@fredherbert1312]

@@violentshemp7776 why would LEDs be annoying?

[@masterofjustice88]

Man I could've sworn they let people go up into the torch until right before 9/11.

[@disinformationworld9378]

masterofjustice88 Do a search for Statue of Liberty mandela effect, there are many who remember going in the torch. Ever hear of the WW1 German spy Black Tom bombing that damaged the Statue? That's a likely mandela effect and the reason why no one goes up in the torch anymore. Have you seen this video recently? Now there is gold on the flame, another Mandela effect popping into reality within the last week and the gold is discussed in this video.

[@MC-up9nx]

"pancake alley" is not a thing

[@sexhaver420]

If you have a New Yawk accent it is

[@charlesdikkema5800]

of

[@blueskythefox1594]

Torch is closed. they can't go because it's so dangerous when they fell.

[@dugroz]

It was closed in 1916 due to the Black Tom Island explosion.

[@Engineer9736]

Is it dangerous because “they” fell or is it dangerous because someone could fall?

[@patrickmorrissey3084]

@@Engineer9736 They could fall. No one has ever fallen that I am aware of.

[@Arthur0ne]

Mandela effect torch has been closed for past 100 years

[@PhoenixT1953]

dumbass they need to let someone go up to change the bulbs

[@zazaasas311]

@@PhoenixT1953 thats not what he meant DUMBASS

[@patrickmorrissey3084]

@@PhoenixT1953 He meant for visitors...

[@renan.578]

look to horizon i see world trADE CENTER 1:55

[@jasoncoriz1060]

R.I.P. Twin towers one plane crashed into one of them and another plane crashed into it ????-2001

[@drewpamon]

Most overrated lightbulb changer in history.

[@drsunshine1959]

Most asshole-ish comment on FB, and that's saying a lot.

[@effyou128]

1:51!!!!!!!!!!

[@gigglybits200]

the twin towers in the background:(