A tragic incident occurred in Manhattan, New York City, on Saturday, October 12, 2024, when an elderly woman plunged to her death from a luxury residential building. The shocking event took place near a wedding ceremony, causing distress to the bystanders.
The woman, said to be 81 years old, fell from the 28th floor of the Park Regis Apartments on the Upper East Side on East 89th Street, around 3:30 p.m. During her descent, her body struck an object on the side of the building, resulting in decapitation and the loss of an arm.
The incident unfolded in the view of guests attending a wedding ceremony at a nearby Carnegie Hill church. Onlookers described the horrifying sight of the woman’s falling body. A building resident who arrived shortly after the incident told the New York Post, “I pulled up just as she was laying there; she had no head. “Her body landed there but her head and leg hit the fence there, you can see it’s bent, there were clothes and blood stuck there.” Another onlooker recounted, “Everyone started rushing towards the body, but she was gone.”
Authorities have yet to release the woman’s identity as they are in the process of informing her family. The NYPD confirmed that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner would ascertain the official cause of death. Preliminary reports suggest the incident was a possible suicide.
The Park Regis, a 33-story residential building established in 1974, operates like a private hotel. It offers its residents amenities such as a gym, on-site garage, laundry facilities, and bicycle storage. The building is located near renowned cultural landmarks like Museum Mile and Central Park.
This unfortunate incident is the second fatal fall from a Manhattan high-rise in recent months. In July, J. Michael Cline, 64, co-founder of Fandango, took his own life by jumping from the 20th floor of The Kimberly Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Though he left a note, its contents were not revealed. Cline, 64, had been facing business challenges during the pandemic that affected his movie ticketing ventures.
While the NYPD continues its investigation, no information regarding the reason behind the elderly woman’s apparent suicide has been revealed. The department stated that the investigation is ongoing and no additional details are currently available.
