Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Ad Exec Was On First Date When She Fell To Her Death From Balcony
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 2, 2013
Modified Aug 2, 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 Aug 2, 2013
Modified Aug 2, 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
The 35-year-old woman who fell to her death when her 17th floor balcony collapsed was enjoying a nightcap with a man after their first date at a nearby restaurant. "There was a man who was hysterical and crying by the elevators. He told me that he and Jennifer were on their first date," one neighbor told The Post. "They had just gotten back and she was showing him her apartment. Then he said they stepped out onto the balcony and had a drink. She was leaning on the balcony, then the railing gave way and just snapped."
Jennifer Rosoff's body was found by a police officer on a scaffolding 15 floors below. After interviewing the unidentified man, NYPD investigators ruled out foul play, and it's not believed that excessive alcohol consumption played a role in her Rosoff's death. “He advised her not to sit on the rail,” outgoing NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told the Daily News, which has vivid photos of the broken balcony. “She said that she had done it before and wasn’t worried. She didn’t think it was a problem.”

(Courtesy NY1)
The Department of Buildings is still investigating, and the city issued a vacate order for all balconies in the building, located at 400 East 57th Street. "It really makes no sense that the railing would break because this building is just about perfect," resident Pearl Harrison, 86, told the Post. Another neighbor, Sara Shubert, tells CBS 2 the balconies are very narrow: 'You’ve got about two feet or less. It’s for standing and smoking and looking at the moon or whatever.”
Rosoff, who grew up on Long Island, was director of sales for the media advertising firm TripleLift, and previously worked at The New Yorker and Cosmopolitan magazines. “She was very successful in everything she did," her cousin tells the Wall Street Journal. "She was very driven. She was a lot of fun to be with. She will be missed."
Tagged
balcony collapse
jennifer rosoff
sutton place
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
Early Addition: There's a new hot duck, this time in Queens
Because a mandarin duck has been frolicking in Flushing, here are your early links: RHONY star racked up a lot of parking tickets, 57 best Italian restaurants in New Jersey, Judi Dench said the "Cats" movie was bad and more.
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 9:40 a.m. ET
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
The bank previously faced protests over a $90 million loan to an Israeli drone company.
By
Ryan Kost
News
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
The bank previously faced protests over a $90 million loan to an Israeli drone company.
By
Ryan Kost
A reliably Republican part of NJ, until ICE came to town
By
Mike Hayes
NYC school integration debate exposes tensions between Black parents and Mamdani
By
Elizabeth Kim
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
By
Giulia Heyward
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 .