Confetti-crazed Yankee fans in buildings along the parade route decided to use confidential financial documents in place of ticker tape — literally tossing common sense out the window.
While the Downtown Alliance distributed more than half a ton of recycled confetti to buildings, some office workers, in their enthusiasm, dumped entire files over the Canyon of Heroes.
“We’re finding pay stubs. We’re finding personal financial information. We found a balance sheet of someone’s trust fund showing $300,000 in stock,” said Damian Salo, 29, an internal auditor attending the parade with friends.
“It’s terrible. Here’s the VP of a financial-services company; he makes over $200,000,” he added, holding a pay stub.
Some of the documents came from the Liberty Street financial firm A.L. Sarroff, including their client accounts, with Social Security numbers and detailed banking data.
“They’re records that should have been shredded,” said firm founder Alan Sarroff. “An overzealous employee threw them out the window. He was reprimanded.”
Real ticker tape hasn’t been used since the 1960s, so fans made use of a law firm’s invoices, memos written on Goldman Sachs letterhead and a collection of Bronx Supreme Court files from 2006.
The city estimated that at least 50 tons of refuse were left on city streets, but sanitation workers weren’t complaining.
“I love it!” said sanitman John Freeman as he raked up confetti and toilet-paper rolls.
The Sanitation Department deployed 466 workers armed with 130 backpack blowers and 130 standard brooms, along with 45 street cleaners and 20 collection trucks. There was no shortage of volunteers for duty, either.
“They are there to get ringside seats for the parade,” said Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association President Harry Nespoli.