70-Year-Old Grandfather Charged, Accused Of BASE Jumping On Private Property: Report

STERLING, VA — A 70-year-old man from Sterling faces trespassing charges in connection with a series of BASE jumping incidents in Fairfax County, according to court records. Charles Moeser is charged with trespassing at different areas in April 2020 and October 2021.

BASE jumping involves parachuting from large buildings or natural structures. BASE stands for building, antenna, span, and earth.

Moeser was arrested on Monday and charged with three counts of trespassing after forbidden, court documents showed. He was released on his own recognizance.

"It's ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous," Moeser told FOX 5 about the BASE jumping accusations.

The most recent BASE jump occurred in October at the Capital One campus near the McLean Metro station, the Washington Post reported.

Moeser, who was an avid runner and former member of the Army's 101st Airborne Division, told FOX 5 he's being targeted as a scapegoat.

"Everybody keeps referring back to two years ago when people were accusing me of BASE jumping when nobody had any proof and somebody else sent videos in and said, 'Yeah, we think that's Chuck Moeser,'" Moeser told FOX 5. "Well nobody ever saw my face BASE jumping or had fingerprints."

Moeser is referring to an investigation into a BASE jumping incident that was seen in Tysons two years ago. He was not charged in connection with the 2019 incident, and the statute of limitations for any trespassing charge from the time has passed.

BASE jumping itself is not a crime. Entering private property without permission to access a building's roof for a jump, what Moeser is accused of, is illegal.

According to a search warrant viewed by the Washington Post, an investigator identified Moeser while viewing surveillance footage from the Capital One BASE jump. The investigator recognized Moeser from a previous investigation, according to the report.

Still, Moeser maintains his innocence. He also advises against BASE jumping in the city for the inexperienced. "If you're jumping in the city, don't do it unless you're very experienced, because it's the landing that's going to kill you," he told FOX 5.

Moeser's court date is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2022. If found guilty, he could face up to 12 months in prison for each trespassing charge.