Sneak play scores 'urban explorer' early shots of Vikings stadium

Scott Heins didn't have much of a plan when he packed up his camera gear and sneaked into the under-construction Vikings stadium.

But he managed to climb his way through U.S. Bank Stadium's exposed girders, concrete stands and ladders, all the while shooting dizzying photographs.

He may have received a lot of compliments on social media when the photos were revealed on Deadspin Wednesday, but project managers at Mortenson Construction and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority weren't happy.

Heins broke into the construction site in the wee hours of the night last month to take long-exposure shots between cranes and staircase frames.

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Identified in the Deadspin post as a writer, photojournalist and urban explorer from Minnesota who lives in New York City, Heins described how he easily entered the site with hardly anyone noticing.

"A simple push against the fence opened a human-sized gap a few feet off the ground," he wrote, "and in seconds I slipped from sanctioned public space onto the rocky dirt of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority."

Once inside, it wasn't as easy to navigate the huge, partly built structure.

"There are lot of unfinished stairwells and hallways that lead to nowhere inside of there, or lead to an unfinished floor or a plain wall," he said later, adding that he was careful not to hit spots that would harm him. "I never put myself in a position where I truly felt unsafe or in danger of getting injured."

Heins was in there for about two hours. Now he knows he will have to deal with the consequences of trespassing.

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and Mortenson Construction said they were aware of the incident and plan to address it.

"Trespassing on construction sites is illegal and very dangerous," John Wood, senior vice president of Mortenson Construction, said in a statement. "We take this situation very seriously and we are evaluating all options with local authorities to have this individual face consequences for his unlawful entry to the site and to further increase security after hours."