Savulich/News
Body of unidentified man lies on sidewalk on W. 34th St.
after the man, believed to be in his 20s, reportedly jumped
from the Empire State Building
Posted on 03/31/2010 5:13:56 AM PDT by ETL
Savulich/News
Body of unidentified man lies on sidewalk on W. 34th St.
after the man, believed to be in his 20s, reportedly jumped
from the Empire State Building
A young man took a fatal plunge from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building on Tuesday night, crashing down on W. 34th St. and horrifying pedestrians, police said.
The jumper managed to get past the 10-foot-high spiked fence ringing the observation deck and then disappeared below the outermost ledge around 6:15 p.m., police sources said.
He landed with a sickening thud on a sidewalk along W.34th St., near a bank branch at the northeast entrance of the famed midtown skyscraper.
"He came down in front of the Bank of America. Boom! It was an explosion," said Luis Mosquea, 28, who was manning the front entrance of a women's boutique on W. 34th St., across from where the man landed.
"His body was shattered and his sneakers were scattered on the sidewalk," said Mosquea, recalling in horror how stunned pedestrians scampered in every direction to flee the nightmarish sight.
"One guy ran over and covered the body with an umbrella," he said. "It's crazy."
Police said last night they believed the man was a college student in his early 20s, but they cautioned that the man had yet to be positively identified.
The observation deck of the 102-story landmark, normally thronged with tourists, was relatively uncrowded yesterday on account of heavy rain. Police sources said they did not believe the man was part of a group of tourists.
At least 34 people have jumped to their deaths from the Empire State Building since it opened in 1931.
The most recent was Moshe Kanovsky, 31, of Brooklyn, who leaped out of a 69th-floor window in April 2007.
One of the more memorable recent suicides from atop the observation deck came in October 2000, when a 19-year-old Canadian man dressed like a pirate chose to end his life in headline-making fashion.
Time to have a post removed ping.
Another suicide-by-rental?
Cheap bastard...
I’ve been up there a couple of times but I don’t recall having looked down.
I wouldn’t doubt that is what they are claiming at the Democratic Underground site.
“I suppose that if Jimmy Finster jumped off the Empire State Building, YOU’D have to jump too”
ayep. that’s him all over. typical New Yorker strolling by tha body without a glance.
It’s a miracle he made it over the fence and that he didn’t land on anyone. Miracle on 34th Street?
Good thing they’ve got the backboard there, ready to go.
“Don’t move his head, there may be spinal injuries.”
Yes, this is cold, but this guy was a selfish b@stard who put other people’s lives at risk to satisfy his own ego.
In that respect, I commend him for his effort. I do not think I could have made it out that far. I don't think he, as a suicidal person, had the presence of mind, but maybe he made it a point to have the wind at his back to assist him. I know that I certainly would not commit suicide into the wind
AMEN!! Suicide is the MOST SELFISH thing one can do....and especially in a public place!
Anyone see David Letterman on the observation deck around this time?
Thanks be to God he did not land on someone walking by.
Time to shut it down. You know one person doing this...well it’s time to over react and shut it down completely.
Lost in the Cash Cab?
BTW, the reason there is no longer a “post #1” to reply to on this thread is because I apparently posted too much of a New York Post followup article and the mods removed it. In other words, I didn’t crack any inappropriate jokes or anything like that.
Here is an excerpt from it:
“A man jumped to his death from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building last night.
The jumper, 23, a Texan whose name was withheld, landed on the sidewalk near a bank on West 34th Street at about 6:30 p.m.
Police believe the man, who was alone, was able to get over the barriers because there were fewer than 10 people on the deck due to the rain.”
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/empire_state_suicide_leap_IlklaiJNq1bE5pP2DDXAHN
“Man leaps to his death from 86th floor observation deck at Empire State Building”
Bring a sponge.
Somewhere on Wikipedia is a great photo from the World Trade Center.
I wouldn’t want to look.
Yes, you’re probably right. Wind resistance would certainly slow the acceleration. Similar thing happens with meteorites striking the ground.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.