Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Williamsburg Woman Fell To Death Trying To Climb Into Boyfriend's Kitchen Window
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 5, 2014
Modified Apr 5, 2014
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
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 5, 2014
Modified Apr 5, 2014
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
Early Friday morning, a 29-year-old woman fell to her death from a building in Williamsburg after she attempted to climb into her boyfriend's apartment via a kitchen window. "I climbed out there and held her while she was fading," Alex Douglas, 42, told the Daily News about comforting his girlfriend Hannah Shaw after the fall. "I’m exhausted. I can’t sleep. It’s been horrible."
Douglas and Shaw, who have been dating for a year and a half, got into a fight Thursday night while out at Lucky Dog. Douglas said Shaw told him she was going back to her place on S. 4th Street: "She ended up not going home. I ran into her on the street outside my place with some other guy," said Douglas. "I did invite her in — and then told her to leave. I told her not to come over."
Police say Shaw, who was drunk at the time, went to the roof and attempted to climb down into the apartment through the kitchen window by holding onto a set of hanging cable wires for support. She fell and landed on a roof three floors below his fourth-floor apartment; Douglas had to crawl through a neighbor's window to get to her. She was rushed to Woodhull Hospital around 4:40 a.m., where she was declared dead.
Police say no criminality is suspected, but the investigation is ongoing.
Shaw, an aspiring fashion designer who designed her own jewelry, had launched Hannah Shaw Designs after she moved to NYC in 2007, and recently worked for landscaping company Jungle Design NYC. "This is just a really tragic accident. She was a lovely roommate. She was always happy and so kind and caring so much,” Ada Vesti, a Swedish book publisher who lived with Shaw and another woman, told the Post.
Her mother, Jane Tawney, told DNAInfo that she last talked to her daughter a week ago, and their last words exchanged together were, "I love you." "Never, never forget to say that," she added.
Tagged
alex douglas
brooklyn
death
hannah shaw
kent avenue
police
williamsburg
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani says Trump will 'immediately' grant visa to Ghanaian mom of slain Bronx teen
Javits Frimpong, whose family is from Ghana, was walking to school Thursday morning when he was shot and killed.
By
Christian Santana
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 31, 2026 at 3:08 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 31, 2026 at 7:03 p.m. ET
Overflowing school in downtown Jersey City is hitting a crisis point, parents say
There aren't great options for relieving overcrowding at P.S. 16 in Paulus Hook. It's a consequence of a economic boom — and huge influx of residents.
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
Overflowing school in downtown Jersey City is hitting a crisis point, parents say
There aren't great options for relieving overcrowding at P.S. 16 in Paulus Hook. It's a consequence of a economic boom — and huge influx of residents.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Bronx e-bike fire that killed a boy has claimed 3 more lives, NYPD says
By
Amanda Rozon
Donald Trump looms over New York attorney general’s race
By
Jon Campbell
and
Walter Wuthmann
How formerly homeless New Yorkers are helping others get off the streets
By
Karen Yi
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 .