Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Officials Believe 9-Year-Old Accidentally Fell From Roof To His Death
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Apr 26, 2014
Modified Apr 26, 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 .
Google Maps
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Apr 26, 2014
Modified Apr 26, 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
Investigators believe the death of a 9-year-old who tumbled off the roof of a skyscraper in the Bronx this week was accidental.
Sidy Fofana, a fourth grader at Harlem Success Academy, was found dead on Wednesday on top of scaffolding at 20 Richman Plaza, a 43-story high rise in Morris Heights. His parents, who lived with Sidy and his four siblings in an apartment on a low floor, told police they sent the boy up to his uncle's apartment on the 43rd floor to get money for chicken wings and french fries; "I said, ‘OK. Be careful.’ Then he went upstairs,” mother Sanata Fofana told the Daily News this week. “He never came back down.”
Cops say they've seen no security footage of Sidy from that day, and believe he may have gone up to the roof instead of going for food; the roof's door is located next to Sidy's uncle's apartment. "The investigation is leading us to believe that it was, in fact, accidental,” NYPD Commissioner Bratton said yesterday. “It would appear to be just a tragic accident.”
Investigators say an initial autopsy was inconclusive, and Sidy's mother says she wants answers. "I'm just so sad. My son. He loved his family,” she said. “I'm not too sure what exactly happened. He wasn't (mentally) sick. There was nothing wrong with him. The police said they're not sure what happened."
Tagged
death
morris heights
nypd
sidy fofana
the bronx
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Early Addition: Do any of you get off at the 3rd Avenue L train stop?
Because one software engineer crunched the numbers and decided the stop is useless, here are your early links: Street named for Jose Alvarado in Bushwick, the TikTok star cleaning up tree beds, Ethan Slater in "Little Shop of Horrors" and more.
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 9:34 a.m. ET
The American Chestnut tree returns to the Bronx Zoo after more than a century
The Bronx Zoo is getting 25 blight-resistant chestnut saplings as part of the effort to bring the tree back from extinction.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
The American Chestnut tree returns to the Bronx Zoo after more than a century
The Bronx Zoo is getting 25 blight-resistant chestnut saplings as part of the effort to bring the tree back from extinction.
By
Rosemary Misdary
2 people died in car crashes in Queens and Brooklyn in less than 1 day, NYPD says
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Mamdani will clear 10,000 families off waitlist for low-cost childcare
By
Karen Yi
In wake of Legionnaires' outbreaks, a debate over NYC's water and industry influence
By
Joe Hong
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 .