Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Baby Survives After Mother Jumps To Death With Son Strapped To Chest
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 14, 2013
Modified Mar 14, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 14, 2013
Modified Mar 14, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Manhattan lawyer committed suicide yesterday by jumping from her eighth floor Harlem apartment with her 10-month-old son strapped to her chest. Miraculously, the child survived with minor injuries. Cynthia Wachenheim, 44, was an associate attorney for the New York State Supreme Court and graduated from Columbia Law School. According to her neighbor Christian Johnson, yesterday she had a loud argument with her husband, who works in sales.
“He was yelling at her today,” Johnson tells the Daily News. “It made me stop and listen. He was asking her why she wouldn’t pick up the phone. He kept repeating it. Then, the baby started crying.” Shortly before 1 p.m. the husband, Hal Bacharach, left the upscale Bradhurst Avenue building, called The Sutton. Less than three hours later, Wachenheim jumped to her death.
Two NYPD officers happened to be sitting in their patrol car outside the building and saw the horrible incident. The baby, Keston, was on Wachenheim's chest in a harness, but she landed on her back and the child survived. "I heard a scream, a scared scream," witness Steven Dominguez tells the Post. "I noticed a woman was falling. As she was coming down, she was coming down on her back. I saw the baby bounce on her chest and fall to the concrete. The baby started crying."
A seven page suicide note was found in the home. One police source tells the Daily News, "The note said she was not happy and she talked about what she planned to do... saying to her husband, ‘I love you. I’m making you suffer. You’re going to think I’m evil.' She thinks she’s a failing mother. On the last page, she refers to postpartum depression. She was supposed to see a therapist, but she blew him off." The source also says Wachenheim was convinced her baby had cerebral palsy, but doctors insisted the child was healthy.
"They looked like a really happy family," another neighbor tells DNAinfo. "I never would have thought she would be dead." Wachenheim, a Columbia Law School graduate, was still on maternity leave from her $118,000-a-year job in the city court system. The Daily News reports that she worked there for more than 15 years doing research and writing for judges. A courts spokesman said, "All of us in the court family are saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with her family during this difficult time."
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone, remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt, and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
Tagged
cynthia wachenheim
harlem
suicide
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .