Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Man Jumps Off Empire State Building Dies


In all my years living in New York, I’ve never heard of this happening. This is really tragic!

From the New York Post:

A man jumped to his death from the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building tonight, police sources said.

The jumper, who was in his 20s, landed on the sidewalk by a bank branch on W. 34th Street near Fifth Avenue at about 6:30 p.m.


Police believe he was able to get over the barriers because there weren’t too many people on the deck due to rainy weather.

Jason Beck, 28, of Brooklyn was walking with a friend on the street when the tragedy occurred.
"My friend heard this really loud weird sound," he said. "He turned around and saw someone splattered on the ground."
It’s a miracle he didn’t land on somebody. It’s pretty crowded on that street that time of night.

UPDATE: Huffington Post reports

The Empire State Building jumper has been identified as Yale student Cameron Dabaghi, an East Asian studies major from Austin, Texas.

Dabaghi leaped from the 86th floor of the landmark building around 6:30 pm Tuesday night. According to witnesses, the college junior took a running start in order to clear the barrier on the observation deck.
Dabaghi hit the ground "with a sickening thud" near a Bank of America branch.

A witness on the street told the Daily News that "his body was shattered and his sneakers were scattered on the sidewalk" after the giant "boom" of his impact.

One passerby apparently tried to cover up the gruesome sight by putting his umbrella over the body.

In a letter to the Yale community, Yale College Dean Mary Miller wrote, "We are all deeply distressed by this news."
Dabaghi's sister is also a student at Yale.


Via New York Post

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