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19-Year-Old Dead After Jumping From Vessel In Hudson Yards
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 2, 2020
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 2, 2020
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A 19-year-old man died on Saturday night after jumping from the Vessel, the "interactive artwork" at Hudson Yards, police confirmed.
Police officers responded to a call about a male individual who jumped from the installation at 5:46 p.m., an NYPD spokesperson said, adding his last location on the 150-foot-tall structure was unclear.
He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:07 p.m.
According to the Post, "dozens of tourists" saw the tragedy: "One witness took off his own jacket after running to the young victim, 'and put it right over [the victim’s] face,' said Marita Salkowski, 50, of Kentucky. Officials asked everyone to leave the structure, and 'everybody was really quiet walking down the steps,' she said."
The Vessel opened in March 2019 and has quickly become a tourist destination, with its distinctive copper-clad, honeycomb/shawarma-shaped structure that 154 interlocking staircases, nearly 2,500 individual steps, and 80 landings.
The views are unobstructed from the walkways. ArchDaily wrote about the design, "As one climbs up Vessel, the railings stay just above waist height all the way up to the structure’s top, but when you build high, folks will jump." We've contacted Related, the developer of Hudson Yards, for comment.
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.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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