A 16-year-old boy bypassed security and climbed to the top of 1 World Trade Center, America's tallest building, to take pictures in the middle of the night, police said Thursday.

The teen was arrested at 6 a.m. ET Sunday and charged with misdemeanour criminal trespass, said Joe Pentangelo, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the trade centre site.

The teen got on the construction site of the nearly completed tower through a one-foot opening in a fence, Pentangelo said. He then allegedly entered the tower by climbing scaffolding.

The teen eluded a guard on the 104th floor; the guard has since been fired, the spokesman said.

It was not immediately known how the teen got to the 104th floor without being noticed.

Port Authority police arrested him on the premises. His camera and cellphone were seized after authorities obtained a search warrant.

The investigation was continuing into whether the teen may have entered other parts of the building.

"We take security and these types of infractions very seriously and will prosecute violators," Joe Dunne, chief security officer for the Port Authority, said in a statement. "We continue to reassess our security posture at the site and are constantly working to make this site as secure as possible."

It’s possible the teen was inspired by rooftopping, the practice of scaling buildings, typically under construction or off-limits, to score extreme high-angle images of city life. There are numerous Facebook groups, blogs and other online communities devoted to the pursuit.